A South Indian bakery staple

Egg puffs are a fixture of Kerala bakery counters: flaky, buttery pastry around spiced onions and a hard-boiled egg. Good as an appetizer or a mid-afternoon snack.

“There is nothing quite like the flaky, buttery crunch of a Kerala bakery egg puff.”

Under an hour, twelve puffs

Prep runs about 25 to 35 minutes, baking another 20. Two sheets of frozen puff pastry and six eggs give you 12 puffs at 155 calories each.

Build the masala first

Cook two thinly sliced onions in a teaspoon of oil until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Then add ginger-garlic paste, a whole green chile and dried curry leaves for one more minute.

Bloom the spices

Stir in turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, salt and pepper, and cook just until fragrant. Take the pan off the heat so the filling cools before it meets the pastry.

Roll, fill, pinch

Roll each thawed pastry sheet into an 8x12-inch rectangle and cut six squares. Center a spoonful of masala, set half an egg cut side down, then bring two corners together and seal.

Egg wash, then bake

Brush the tops with beaten egg for color and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. A parchment-lined sheet keeps the bottoms from sticking.