Beef Curry Puffs (Crispy and Flaky)

These beef curry puffs are an addictive appetizer that pack a punch of flavour. The combination of tender ground beef, curry powder, brown sugar, and tomato paste creates a sweet and savoury filling that will have you coming back for more. Encased in buttery paratha dough, the puffs are deep-fried to golden, crispy perfection, offering a delightful contrast between the flaky exterior and the juicy, spiced beef filling. Whether for a casual snack or special occasion, these curry puffs are sure to impress with their bold, mouthwatering taste.

Components

• Beef
• Curry powder
• Tomato paste
• Brown sugar
• Garlic
• Onion
• Jalapeño
• Peas
• Lemon juice
• Paratha

Paratha dough & substitutions

Paratha dough is a soft, pliable dough traditionally made with flour, water, and a bit of oil or ghee, often kneaded to a smooth consistency and allowed to rest before being rolled out. The dough is known for its layers, which result in a crispy, flaky texture when cooked. You should be able to find it at local middle eastern/south asian stores or even mainstream grocery stores in the freezer aisles (look for the international section). If you’re looking for a substitute, you can easily make a homemade dough by combining all-purpose flour with a pinch of salt, a little water, and incorporating butter to add richness and flakiness. This alternative will give you a similar buttery texture to the paratha dough, perfect for wrapping the savoury beef filling.

How its made

To make these beef curry puffs, start by heating avocado oil in a pan and sautéing diced onion, jalapeños, and minced garlic until softened. Stir in the flour to thicken the mixture, which makes it easier to scoop into the paratha dough. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up into small pieces. Season it up with tomato paste, curry powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper for seasoning. Cook everything together until the flavors meld, then add green peas and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the filling. Let the mixture cool before stuffing it into paratha dough wrappers, which will then be deep-fried to a crispy, golden perfection for a satisfying snack.

Making the paratha dough wrappers

For the wrapper, take paratha dough out of the freezer and thaw at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. The paratha will still be cold but can be rolled out and cut into with force. Use a 3” circle mold to cut out the wrapper. Remove the excess paratha dough. Save the excess dough to roll out again and use for more wrapper cut outs. 

Keep the cut out wrappers sandwiched between the plastic that comes with the paratha or use parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together. Once all the wrappers are cut out, the paratha dough may be too soft to work with. If so, place them back in the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm up which will make the process of stuffing and sealing easier. 

Once wrappers have firmed up, add some filling to the center of the wrapper, pressing the filling down to adhere to the dough. Fold the wrapper in half to close so it creates a crescent shape and press your fingers together around the edges to seal. You may also use a fork to crimp the edges shut ensuring a good seal and the nice pattern is a plus.

Cooking Methods

Air-fry/Bake: For a lighter option, you can air-fry or bake these beef curry puffs. Be sure to brush them with an egg wash before baking to help with browning and achieve a golden colour. Air-frying/baking at a temperature of 375/400 for 12-15 minutes should yield a good result.

Deep-fry: Frying will give the puffs a much crispier, with a perfectly golden exterior and this is my proffered method for cooking these. Use any neutral oil at heated to around 360 degrees f and they should be ready in 4-6 minutes.

Freezing & Storage

To freeze, lay all the assembled beef curry puffs on tray and place in the freezer 30-45 minutes. Once significantly firmed up and slightly frozen, transfer to ziplock bag and seal removing as much excess air from the bag as possible.

Beef Curry Puffs (Crispy and Flaky)

These beef curry puffs feature a savory filling of ground beef seasoned with curry powder, brown sugar, and tomato paste, wrapped in buttery, flaky paratha dough. Deep-fried to golden perfection, they offer a deliciously crispy exterior and a rich, spiced filling that’s going to satisfy every craving.

Recipe Keys: B Beef

Print Recipe

Prep Time 1.5 hr Cook Time 5 mins Total Time 1 hr 35 mins

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef (lean)
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 yellow onion
• 1-2 jalapeños
• 6-8 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp flour (levelled)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (heaping)
• 1.5-2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp Salt (adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup green peas (frozen)
• ¹⁄₂ of a lemon juice (2-3 tbsp)
• 10-15 sheets paratha dough
• Frying oil

Instructions

1. Finely chop yellow onion, jalapeno and mince garlic cloves.
2. In a large pan or skillet on medium-high/medium heat, add in oil. Once heated, add in chopped onion and jalapeno and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened. Then add in the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Lightly salt.

3. Sprinkle in flour and cook for about 60 seconds stirring often.

4. Add in ground beef  and season with salt, black pepper, curry powder, tomato paste and brown sugar. Leave the beef undisturbed for 30-60 seconds before breaking it up to develop a crust. 

5. Start breaking up the meat into smaller chunks mixing well to incorporate all the seasonings. Reduce the heat to medium if needed so as not to burn the sugar, cover with a lid and cook for 8-10 minutes.

6. Add in frozen peas, stir to incorporate with the beef then cover and cook on medium/med-low for another 10 minutes until peas are tender. Squeeze in lemon juice at the end.

7. For the wrapper, take paratha dough out of the freezer and thaw at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. The paratha should still be quite cold but can be rolled out and cut into with force. Slightly roll out paratha just large enough to get 3 wrappers and use a 3.5” circle mold to cut out the wrapper. Remove the excess paratha dough. save the excess dough to roll out again and use for more wrapper cut outs.

   if the dough thaws too much and gets warm it will be difficult to work with. Try to work with just a few sheets of paratha at a time keeping the remaining sheets cold in the fridge or freezer.

8. Keep the cut out wrappers sandwiched between the plastic that comes with the paratha or use parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together. Once all the wrappers are cut out, the paratha dough may be too soft to work with. If so, place them back in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes to firm up which will make the process of stuffing and sealing easier.

9. Once wrappers have firmed up, add about 1 tbsp of the beef curry filling to the centre of the wrapper, pressing the filling down to adhere to the dough. Fold the wrapper in half to close so it creates a crescent shape and press your fingers together around the edge to seal. Make sure to press firmly. You may also use a fork to crimp the edges shut ensuring a good seal.

10. Once all the beef puffs are wrapped, fry in hot oil at 375-380 degrees f for 3-5 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain over a wire rack and lightly sprinkle with salt.

    To get these extra flaky and crispy, place in the fridge uncovered for about 20-30 minutes to allow the outer skin to dry out before frying.