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Singaporean · Malaysian

Curry puffs

Non-vegetarian

Karipap

Crimped half-moon pastries filled with curried potato and chicken, deep-fried until crisp — a favourite tea-time snack across Singapore and Malaysia.

Curry puffs is a Singaporean pastry, ready in about 1 hour 55 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, curry powder and potato. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Delectable Malaysian curry puffs served on a white plate, showcasing their flaky, golden crust and savory filling.
Photo: Kent Ng / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
45 min
Cook
40 min
Rest
30 min
Total
1 h 55 min
Serves
8
Level
Intermediate
Calories
398

Ingredients

8 servings (16 puffs)

For the pastry

For the filling

For frying

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Rub the butter (opens in a new tab) into the flour and salt until sandy, then add the water and knead briefly into a soft dough. Wrap and rest 30 minutes.

    • 10 min
    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Fry the onion (opens in a new tab) in the oil until soft, add the curry powder (opens in a new tab) and fry 1 minute, then the chicken until it changes colour. Add the potato (opens in a new tab), water, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt, cover and cook until the potato is tender and dry. Cool.

    Food safety: Cook chicken until no pink remains and the juices run clear (74 °C in the thickest part).

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Roll the dough thinly and cut 10 cm circles. Fill each with a spoonful of filling and a piece of egg (opens in a new tab), fold into a half moon and crimp the edge by folding it over itself.

  4. Step 4

    Deep-fry in oil at 170 °C in batches until golden and blistered, turning once. Drain on paper.

    Food safety: Never leave hot oil unattended, keep the pan no more than a third full, and lower food in away from you.

    Food deep-frying in hot oil
    How it looks · Photo: Riya Roy on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Origin disputedPopular in both Singapore and Malaysia; thought to descend from British-era pasties adapted with local curry.Also popular in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand
Dish
Snack · Pastries · Finger food · Street food
Cooking method
Deep-fried, Sautéed
Taste
savoury, aromatic / warmly spiced, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
No nut ingredients
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Without the optional extras: Egg-freeWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Pescatarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Portable / lunchbox · Freezer-friendly · Child-friendly
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Curry powder · Potato · Butter · Onion · Chicken thigh
Techniques
Deep-frying · Sautéing · Kneading

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
  • Contains, can be adapted: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
  • May contain: Mustardfrom curry powder
  • May contain: Celeryfrom curry powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

398 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 166 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 10%
  • Carbohydrate 38%
  • Fat 52%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy398 kcal239 kcal
Protein10 g6 g
Carbohydrate37.9 g22.7 g
Net carbohydrate35 g21 g
Sugars1.6 g0.9 g
Added sugars0.5 g0.3 g
Fibre2.9 g1.7 g
Fat23.2 g13.9 g
Saturated fat6.5 g3.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol45 mg27 mg
Sodium457 mg275 mg
Salt equivalent1.1 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
301 mg
Calcium
28 mg
Iron
2.6 mg
Magnesium
29 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
70 µg
Vitamin C
8 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
120 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: egg.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • A dry filling is essential — moisture makes the pastry burst in the oil.

Common mistakes

  • Oil too hot: the pastry browns before it crisps through.

Serve with

  • Serve warm with kopi or teh tarik.

Storage

  • Freeze uncooked puffs on a tray, then bag; fry from frozen.

Reheating

  • Re-crisp in a 180 °C oven for 8 minutes.

Variations

  • Baked curry puffs: Use puff pastry and bake at 200 °C, brushed with egg.
  • Sardine puffs: A Singapore favourite filled with spiced tinned sardines.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

Structure

For the pastry

Used in step 1

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 55 min

    Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.

  2. Rest · about 30 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Bake · about 18 min

    Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.

  4. Start to finish: about 1 h 43 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Crust too hard or thick

    Likely causes

    • Baked too long at too low a temperature
    • No steam at the start

    What to do

    • Bake hotter for a shorter time
    • Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
    • Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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