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Golden, flaky, and crispy curry puffs filled with savory chicken and potatoes, made with homemade pastry from scratch. This is the most authentic recipe you’ll find online and rivals the best ones sold by street vendors in Malaysia!
The Best Curry Puff Recipe
Curry puff is a popular Asian pastry with a savory chicken and potato filling, commonly found in Malaysia and Singapore. We call them karipap in Malay, and they’re a nice example of Malaysia’s multicultural mix. While they trace back to the Indian samosas, they’re really a blend of Indian, Malay, and Chinese-Peranakan (Nyonya) influences—just one of the many reasons Malaysian food is so richly diverse and delicious!
I enjoy it any time of day—as a morning breakfast, an afternoon tea snack, or a late-night treat. It’s similar to Western pastries or pies, but this version is deep-fried for that signature golden-brown crispiness.
In Malaysia, traditional home cooking often relies on estimation, or “agak-agak,” but this recipe is precise, with exact measurements for every ingredient. It’s the real deal!
In this tutorial, I’ll be sharing my friend’s secret recipe and techniques with you, including a step-by-step photo guide for each part, vegetarian and vegan substitutes, and a simple hack for quicker results.
Side note: In Malaysia, agak-agak loosely means “estimate” or “go by feel.” It’s commonly used in cooking, where you might just “throw in” ingredients based on instinct rather than exact measurements.
Spiral Curry Puff
There are many versions of curry puffs in Malaysia, but I have to say the best ones are the spiral curry puffs. The flaky, layered shell really stands out, and you can tell they’re often made by traditional home cooks who spend hours perfecting their recipes.
The secret lies in the flaky pastry. Once you get the right ratio of ingredients and nail the technique, you’ll be able to make crispy, flaky curry puffs that look just like the ones in my photos, complete with those beautiful spirals on the skin.
The combination of that crispy shell with spicy chicken curry and potatoes is just fantastic! If you’re looking for a perfect recipe, this one is it.
Malaysian Curry Puff Ingredients
- Chicken
- Potato
- Onion
- Dried chilies
- Garlic
- Shallots
- Curry leaves
- Curry powder
- Butter
- Oil
- Ghee (optional)
- Flour
- Water
- Salt
- Sugar
How to Make Spiral Curry Puff
Step 1: Filling
Soak dried chillies in hot water for 5 minute. Rinse and blend together with shallots till fine. Mix in curry powder.
Step 2: Heat oil in a wok and sauté the chili paste and curry leaves until fragrant. Add the diced chicken and potatoes, and fry for 3 minutes over medium heat. Then add the onions and water. Simmer for 5 minutes or until almost dry. Remove from heat and let cool.
Step 3: Curry Puff Pastry
Water dough
Mix salt into water to create salt water. Gradually add the salt water to the flour, kneading slowly to form a smooth white dough. Divide the dough into portions of 85 g (3 oz) each and roll them into balls. Set aside.
Step 4: Oil dough
Add butter and ghee to the flour and knead to form a dough. Divide the dough into portions of 70 g (2½ oz) each.
Step 5: Flatten the water dough and wrap the oil dough inside. Pinch the edges to seal it well. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Step 6: Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to form a rectangle measuring 20 x 11 cm (8″ x 4″). Starting from the shorter end, roll it up tightly into a Swiss roll. Then, flatten the rolled dough slightly by rolling from the shorter end. Finally, roll it up again from the shorter side to form another Swiss roll.
Step 7: Let the dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat the process until you have finished with the remaining dough. Then, cut the dough into 4 pieces.
Step 8: Roll a piece of the cut dough into a circle using a rolling pin. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center.
Step 9: Brush the edge with water and fold the dough in half. Press the edges together to seal, forming a half-moon shape. Pinch the edge of the puff with your thumb, bringing the back side forward and sealing it with the front. Repeat this process to create about 8-9 pleats.
Step 10: Heat oil in a wok or deep fryer until very hot, ensuring there’s enough oil to fully submerge the puffs. Deep fry the puffs over medium heat until golden brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Spiral curry puff have an extra flaky texture because they’re made by layering two types of dough—one water-based and one oil-based. This creates that unique, crispy look and bite! Regular curry puff are simpler, using just one type of dough without the layers.
To avoid a soggy filling, make sure to cook down any excess liquid before assembling. This keeps the filling thick and prevents the pastry from becoming wet.
Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like vegetable or canola oil, when frying. This way, the oil won’t add any strong flavors, so the filling shines through, and you’ll get a light, crispy crust.
Make sure the oil is hot enough before frying—around 180°C (350°F). If the oil’s too cold, the pastry will soak up extra oil and turn greasy. Right after frying, drain them on paper towels to keep them crisp.
This curry puff recipe is only 144 calories per serving.
Other Street Food You Might Like
If you love street food just like I do, you will definitely enjoy the following hawker delights in Malaysia.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Curry Puff
Ingredients
Filling Ingredients
- 1 kg (2 lb) chicken meat, diced
- 1 kg (2 lb) potatoes, diced
- 500 g (1 lb) onions, diced
- 4-5 curry leaves
- 2-3 tablespoons curry powder
- 15 dried chillies
- 8 shallots
- 125 ml water
- salt , to taste
- sugar, to taste
- 5 tablespoons oil
Water Dough
- 900 g (1.9 lb) flour
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 335 g (11.8 oz) water
Oil Dough
- 340 g (11.9 oz) butter
- 20 g (¾ oz) ghee, optional
- 730 g (1⅓ lb) flour
Instructions
Filling
- Soak dried chillies in hot water for 5 minute. Rinse and blend together with shallots till fine. Mix in curry powder.
- Heat oil in a wok and sauté the chili paste and curry leaves until fragrant. Add the diced chicken and potatoes, and fry for 3 minutes over medium heat. Then add the onions and water. Simmer for 5 minutes or until almost dry. Remove from heat and let cool.
Dough
Water Dough
- Mix salt into water to create salt water. Gradually add the salt water to the flour, kneading slowly to form a smooth white dough. Divide the dough into portions of 85 g (3 oz) each and roll them into balls. Set aside.
Oil Dough
- Add butter and ghee to the flour and knead to form a dough. Divide the dough into portions of 70 g (2½ oz) each.
To make spiral skin
- Flatten the water dough and wrap the oil dough inside. Pinch the edges to seal it well. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to form a rectangle measuring 20 x 11 cm (8" x 4"). Starting from the shorter end, roll it up tightly into a Swiss roll. Then, flatten the rolled dough slightly by rolling from the shorter end. Finally, roll it up again from the shorter side to form another Swiss roll.
- Let the dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat the process until you have finished with the remaining dough. Then, cut the dough into 4 pieces.
To fill and shape puff
- Roll a piece of the cut dough into a circle using a rolling pin. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center.
- Brush the edge with water and fold the dough in half. Press the edges together to seal, forming a half-moon shape. Pinch the edge of the puff with your thumb, bringing the back side forward and sealing it with the front. Repeat this process to create about 8-9 pleats.
- Heat oil in a wok or deep fryer until very hot, ensuring there’s enough oil to fully submerge the puffs. Deep fry the puffs over medium heat until golden brown.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Bee, what brand curry powder or type will be the best and authentic ones to use? Am I completely wrong in using Madras curry powder or would you recommend meat curry powder like Baba? And wouldn’t it be too spicy if I added Baba curry powder and 15 dried chilies?
Thanks
Hi Mayu, curry powder is not spicy but aromatic. You can cut down the chilies to half per your taste.
Thanks a lot! This recipe is awesome. I tried it many years ago and it was delicious. I just forgot which curry powder I used.
I’m in Australia, is ghee a must recipe for this curry puff? Can I replace with other ingredients?
You can get ghee in Indian stores. You can use butter but the results are not as great. Won’t be as flaky.
From your nyonya curry puff recipes, how many of them could I make?
Hi Bee, can I bake using the oven instead? What is the temperature and how long should I bake?
Can I use salted/unsalted butter as a substitute of the Ghee?
Many thanks!
Yes you can make but I am not sure the temperature and time as I didn’t try.
Hi Bee, I’m hoping these are similar to my favorite Tanjung Bungah hawker. Could you please suggest what kind of dried chilies you would use in So Calif? Thanks!
Chili arbol.
Bee, I love all your recipes. I even have your book “Easy Chinese Recipes.” This curry puff looks so good but I can’t figure out the amounts. I live in N.Carolina. In the USA. Can you please break down the measurements. I see you do this in your cookbook. Thank You, Bobbie
Hi Bobbie, my contributor did this recipe.
Can you use puff or short crust pastry instead of yhr dry snd oily dough?
Yes.
Thank you so much Bee! I worked for a family from Malaysia and Annie would always make curry puffs and pineapple cookies and I always tried to get her recipe for at least the curry puffs! This, the pineapple cookies and your ponzu sauce miracle have made my year! I went to Taipei 101 with coworkers and our bosses. We had the most amazing dumplings.. Some were even filled with soup but the dipping sauce with fresh ginger was the best.. Ive been trying to find that since I got back last summer. Thank you very much!
Hi Bee, do you have the Nyonya Kuih lapis ( some texture of Bengawan Solo in Singapore) recipe? It’s so hard to find. If you do please share with me . Thank you
https://rasamalaysia.com/kek-lapis-indonesian-layer-cake/
This is very reminiscent of Pastizi. A Maltese pastry.