Masala Egg Puffs

Method

1. Thaw frozen pastry in the fridge ahead of time. Bring a 16 cm pot of water to the boil on high heat, lower in the eggs gently and cook for 10 min. Cool them in cold water, peel and halve them lengthwise.

   Add in this stepEggs 2

   high heat

2. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (oven) and line a baking tray with baking paper.

   oven

3. Heat the oil in a 22 cm pan on medium heat, add the curry leaves and, once they sizzle, the onion. Cook for 8 min, until soft and deep golden; that is where the sweetness comes from. Curry leaves spit in hot oil, so take care.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 3 tspCurry leaves (optional) 6Onion, thinly sliced 150 g

   medium heat

4. Add the ginger, garlic and green chilli and fry briefly, then add the tomato, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala and salt and cook on medium-low heat for 6 min. The tomato juice must cook off completely so the masala clumps like a moist jam; any liquid makes soggy pastry. Stir in the coriander, spread it on a plate and cool for 10 min. Hot filling melts the butter in the pastry and stops it puffing.

   Add in this stepGinger, finely grated 5 gGarlic cloves, chopped 2Green chilli, chopped 1Tomato, finely chopped 80 gGround turmeric ¼ tspKashmiri chilli powder ½ tspGaram masala ½ tspSalt ½ tspFresh coriander (cilantro), chopped 1 tbsp

   medium-low heat

5. Put 1 tablespoon of masala in the centre of each pastry square, lay half an egg on top, cut side down, and cover with a little more masala. Dab the edges with water, fold diagonally into a triangle and press the edges firmly with a fork to seal. Space them out on the tray, brush the tops with milk and cut a small vent in each with the tip of a knife.

   Add in this stepPuff pastry squares (12 × 12 cm) 4Milk, for brushing 1 tbsp

6. Bake (oven) for 18 min, until well risen and deep golden. The filling is very hot, so cool for 5 minutes before serving. Great with tomato ketchup or mint chutney.

   oven