Halved hard-boiled eggs nestled in spicy onion masala, wrapped in store-bought puff pastry squares, brushed with egg wash and baked to golden crispy and flaky egg puffs are best had with a hot cup of chai.
Question for my fellow mallus - Did you ever catch yourself or your kins calling these mutta pups?😁
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Growing up, puffs were never made at my home instead these are my go-to option whenever I hang out with friends or family at any bakery or cafe for a cup of chai. The Egg Puff aka Mutta pups takes the prize for the most ordered snack, not the lousy mixed vegetable puffs nor the meat puffs. I personally choose egg puffs because they cannot skimp on the filling— there has to be a whole or a half of an egg in each puff. 😀
The first time I attempted to bake egg puffs was during the 2020 lockdown, feels like yesterday! Since then I have learnt how to make it better and so sharing my best version of egg puffs with Kerala-style spicy masala.
Do not eat an egg puff right out of the oven. You will burn your tongue and lose the tastebuds to enjoy any more egg puffs.
Mr. F
I don't have any issues using frozen puff pastry but if you are keen on making your own, no judgements! With the store-bought puff pastry squares, these egg puffs can be prepared and served in no time as an evening snack with a good cup of my chai.
Whenever I share egg puffs on Instagram Stories, I get asked two questions - 1) how do you get that golden sunshine colour? 2) how to prevent it from opening up while baking? Surprisingly, no one asked about the recipe for the spicy masala filling! I was working more on the masala's flavour than the baked puffs' sealing and colour. So I made more batches of egg puffs to record my steps in sealing the pastry. You can watch the video to get the idea but I will explain it in words too.
How to get golden egg puffs?
To achieve the golden sunshine colour on puff pastries, use egg wash of one whole egg or a yolk. If using yolk, whisk with a splash of milk. Keep an eye on the egg puffs in the oven. If you notice they are pale after more than half the time, remove and brush with egg wash again. Some eggs lack bright yolk, in such case, you can stir in a few drops of ketchup. Each oven works differently, so start with the middle rack and end with the top rack to get the rich golden puffed pastry. I usually start at level 3 (middle) and finish off at level 4 (second from top).
How to prevent puffs from opening up?
To prevent the egg puffs from opening up while baking, you need to ensure you seal them properly. You need to start with an almost thawed puff pastry that you can handle with bare hands without sticking. Next, place the halved boiled egg diagonally aligned to the corners of the square pastry. With this setup, you can easily bring the corners together and press to seal.
Ingredients
- Coconut oil: I use coconut oil to keep it authentic to the region. You can make this using any cooking oil but the flavour will not be the same.
- Fennel seeds: Optional but I highly recommend just like I do for Kerala-style chicken cutlets.
- Ginger: use fresh ginger or ginger paste.
- Curry leaves: a must-have.
- Green chillies: reduce or increase as per taste.
- onions: red onions
- Spices: I have used turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder and Malabar garam masala powder (recipe linked below). You may replace Kashmiri chilli powder with paprika.
- Ketchup: If you don't have it, then feel free to use some tomato paste and adjust the cooking time.
How to make?
An Egg puff has three components, the puff pastry, the hard-boiled egg and the onion filling. You can easily get some ready-made puff pastry squares from the frozen section of most supermarkets. I am assuming everyone can easily make hard-boiled eggs (I have briefly explained below for the beginners). So, the only component we need to work on is the spicy masala filling made with onion and spices.
How to make hard-boiled eggs?
Place eggs in a saucepan and add cold water to cover the eggs by an inch. Heat over a high flame and bring to a full boil. Switch off and remove the pan from the burner. Cover and let it sit for about 12 minutes for large eggs. Drain the water and add cold water to cool them down. Peel and wash before slicing to use in this recipe.
You may choose to peel the eggs inside a bowl of water if you find the shell is stuck to the egg.
If you have more puff pastry, then try my Afghan Sambosa with meat and green peas!
📖 Recipe
Kerala style spicy masala egg puffs
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- curry leaves
- 2 to 3 green chillies chopped finely
- 3 large red onions sliced thinly
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Malabar garam masala
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
- salt to taste
- 3 hard-boiled eggs halved
- 6 puff pastry squares thawed
- 1 egg whisked for brushing
Instructions
Prepare the filling
- Heat coconut oil in a kadai or a skillet. Add the fennel seeds and let them sizzle. Add the finely chopped ginger, green chillies, and curry leaves, and saute for a minute. Next, add the sliced red onions with a pinch of salt and saute until golden. Reduce the flame to low, add the spice powders, and saute for a few minutes. Next, stir in the ketchup, ground pepper, and salt to taste. Switch off and keep aside to cool.
Stuff the puff pastry
- Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the thawed puff pastry squares leaving enough space between each. Divide the onion mixture and place it in the centre of each pastry square. Place the halved eggs cut side down diagonally (align with the corners of the square). Bring the opposite corners of the pastry together and seal by pressing lightly. Lightly stretch the four corners to shape like a petal (watch video).
Prepare to bake
- Preheat the oven to 200℃ with the rack on level 3 or 4 or the top half. Prepare an egg wash by whisking an egg (or an egg yolk with a splash of milk) and brushing all over the sealed puffs. Place the baking tray in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. If you find the puffs are pale, you may remove halfway and quickly brush the puff pastries again with egg wash and bake for the remaining time or until the egg puffs turn crispy and golden.
Serve egg puffs
- Remove from oven and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the Kerala-style spicy masala egg puffs with chai and some ketchup.
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