Curry puff

Acurry puff(Malay:karipap, epok-epok;Jawi:کاريڤڤ / ايڤوق٢‎;Chinese:咖哩角;pinyin:gālí jiǎo;Thai:กะหรี่ปั๊บ,RTGS:karipap,pronounced[kā.rìː.páp]) is asnackofSoutheast Asianorigin.It is a smallpiecontaining a filling ofcurry, often ofchickenandpotatoes, in a fried or bakedpastry shell. The consistency of the curry is quite thick to prevent it from oozing out of the snack.Paporpuffreflects the Fujian Chinese dialect泡('pop'), which means 'bubble, blister, puffed'. It contains influences from Indian, Malay and Chinese cuisines. Many variations of the snack exist throughout Southeast Asia and India, where it is a popular snack food.
Although its origins are uncertain, the snack is believed to have developed in maritime Southeast Asia due in part to the various influences of the British Cornishpasty, the Portugueseempanadaand the Indiansamosaduring the colonial era. The curry puff is one of several "puff" type pastries with different fillings, though now it is by far the most common.Other common varieties include eggs, sardines,root vegetables and onions, or sweet fillings such as yam.
InIndian foodbakeries, it is quite common to find vegetarian curry puffs with vegetables like potatoes, carrots and onions as fillings. They are generally sold as "veg puffs".
In Indonesia, a curry puff is known as apastel, although pastels do not necessarily contain any curry powder.
In Malaysia, curry puffs are commonly known askaripapand sold freshly fried at many Malay, Chinese and Indian bakeries, bazaaror even the street food stalls. The curry puffs from Indian bakeries differ fromepok-epokin the use of layered pastry that creates a flaky crust.
Other varieties of theepok-epokare filled with half a boiled egg instead of chicken. Another alternative is tinnedsardines. There are also vegetarian curry puffs that are not spicy and made from shredded radish, tofu, potatoes and grated carrots. They are often eaten with sweet chili sauce.
The curry puff is a common snack sold inChinatownsandtea shopsthroughout Myanmar, where is it known asbe tha mont(ဘဲသားမုန့်;lit.'duck meat pastry'). The traditional filling isduckmeat and potato spiced withgaram masala, onions, powdered chili peppers, garlic, and ginger.
Curry puffs are commonly seen inpasar malams, bakeries and food stalls in shopping centres. Additionally, the aforementionedepok-epokis a popular variation in some of Singapore's hawker centres, usually amongst Malay stalls. Alternatively, the more common type of curry puff has a thick or flaky English-style crust, with a mixture of Chinese and Indian styles in the filling.
They may also be categorised into hand-made or mass-produced machine-made puffs in triangular shape or half wrapped circular shape. Both variations are popular in Singapore, although some might argue that the former is typically more delicious. Curry puff variations are usually denoted in coloured dye markings on the side of the puffs.
Other puff snacks modelled on the curry puff concept have also been introduced, for example puffs withyam,durian,corn,red bean,nata de coco,grass jelly,bird's nestand evencustardfillings.
Besides the more "exotic" fillings mentioned, there are also more conventional flavours which are quite popular with the locals. These puffs are readily available in Singapore, which include sardine, black-pepper chicken and tuna fillings.
In Singapore,Old Chang Keehas been selling curry puffs for over 60 years and now has outlets all over Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and the United Kingdom.
In Thailand, a curry puff is known as akaripap(กะหรี่ปั๊บ). Assumed to have been adapted from the Portuguesepastel, it arrived in Thailand during theAyutthaya periodin the reign of KingNarai(1633–1688) from Portuguese-Japanese-Bengali cookMaria Guyomar de Pinha, along with manyThai dessertssuch asthong yip,thong yot,foi thongandluk chup. Notable areas wherekaripapis popular areAmphoe Muak Lek, and Saraburi province incentral Thailand,wheredurianfilling is used.