Kerala Meat Puffs

Growing up I was always a chubby kid. I don't ever remember Amma having any trouble to feed me or my brother, for that matter. She didn't have to tell us stories or sing songs or show Kakka (crows) and Poocha (cats) to make us eat.

Throughout my school days I was chubby. There are mainly “two” food items that kept me chubby. One is “Banana Ghee Roast” and the other is “Meat Puffs”. I used to live on these two items plus bread with Amul butter ;)

While banana ghee roast was a homemade dish, puffs were always from the nearby bakery. Since I was a kid, I wasn't allowed to go to bakery by myself. So most of the days, I used to call Amma at office and ask her to bring puffs when she came back. The only drawback of that plan was, I reached home by 4.30 from school and Amma used to come only by 6.30-7.

Some days, I had the patience to wait, but most days that wasn't the case. So the next option was to ask my brother. My brother being the “typical” elder brother who saw his little sister nothing but as a pain in his universe, indulged me rarely.

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But I had my ways ;) Most evenings my brother’s friends would come home and hang out. So I usually wait for them to come home and ask my brother for puffs. His automatic response being “no” I’d try asking a few more times. If that didn't work out, I’d start crying (more like screaming) “enikku veshannittu vayye” (I’m feeling hungry) at full volume, standing among his friends.

Sometimes it worked, he got me the puffs just to get rid of me. Other times, when he refused, his friends used to go and buy me puffs, may be out of pity or like my brother, they also wanted me to leave them alone. As long as I got my puffs, who cares ;)

So, yeah I love puffs! That being said, I made a drastic decision to say “goodbye” to puffs once I reached college. I was getting more conscious about my weight and me being me, I did the extreme.

However, like always, fate has its ways. I got back together with Puffs during my Banglore days. I’ve written all about it here.

Even today meat puffs are dear to me, though I don't eat them regularly. If you’ve already had it, you know what it is and how great it is!

For those who haven't tried it yet, it’s spicy meat masala (beef or chicken) wrapped up in flaky and crispy puff pastry is hard to resist. Though eating it can be messy because of the flaky texture, it’s worth all the mess!

I usually make it when we’ve guests over for breakfast or evening coffee. If you’re using ready made puff pastry, it’s really easy to make and you can make the filling in advance too.

I do hope you give my fav food a chance ;)

Here is the recipe…

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Kerala Meat Puffs

How to make Kerala meat puffs at home? A quick and easy snack recipe using puff pastry and chicken / beef masala. A perfect dish for breakfast or tea.

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Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Meat Puffs

Servings: 6

Author: Maria Jose Martin

Ingredients

• ▢ 6 square Puff Pastry (refer notes)
• ▢ 1 Cup Cooked beef / chicken (refer notes)
• ▢ 1 Small Onion (chopped)
• ▢ 1.5 tbsp Crushed ginger & garlic (each)
• ▢ 1 Green Chilli (chopped)
• ▢ Curry leaves
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Chicken / Meat Masala (refer notes)
• ▢ 1/2 -1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
• ▢ Oil (I used coconut oil)

Instructions

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  Preheat the oven at 200 C for 10 mins, before baking.
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  Shred the cooked beef / chicken in a food processor or using hands. Keep it aside.
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  Heat oil in a wide pan. Add chopped onion and cook till it becomes soft, no need to brown.
  

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  Add crushed ginger & garlic, chopped green chilli and curry leaves. Cook for 2-3 mins. 
  

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  Add chicken / meat masala. Fry for 2 mins.
  

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  Add the cooked and shredded meat and mix well. Add 1-2 tbsp water or stock to bring it together.
  

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  Mix 1/2 - 1 tbsp Ketchup with 1/2 - 1 tbsp water. Add it to the meat mixture and stir well. 
  

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  Thaw the puff pastry as per the package instructions. Beat 1 egg with 1-2 tsp water for egg wash. Apply this egg mixture on four sides of the puff pastry. Place about 1 -2 tbsp of masala on each puff pastry.
  

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  Close the puff pastry, by folding the two opposite corners of the square, to make a triangle. (refer notes) Apply the egg wash all over the sealed puffs. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 mins or until the puff pastry is golden in colour.
  

  Serve with tomato ketchup.
  

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Notes

I used beef here and I pressure cooked the beef with salt and pepper. If you are using chicken, boil it with salt and pepper.

I used store bought Puff pastry, however, I've given the link for homemade puff pastry.

If you dont have chicken / meat masala, use 1/2 tsp garam masala and 1/4 tsp fennel powder. 

You can make the puffs in any shape you like. Also if you are using a big puff pastry sheet, then cut out single squares and use accordingly.

If you want a rich/ dark brown color, change the oven setting to broiler (top portion baking) and bake for the last 2-3 mins.

Tried this recipe? Let others know by...mentioning @mariasmenu or tagging #mariasmenu

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