Remembering Whence I Came and Egg Puffs

bread + pantryFood & DrinkSnacksreflections

Feb 2

Written By Asha

Lately, I have been on a spree of Instagram inspired eating experiences! Some of them make me nostalgic, some remind me of a forgotten tradition in my home, some inspired me to new ideas… but all turn out well. Each a fairy tale of sorts. It all started when Giulia posted about these rustici a few weeks ago. The shape and the form took me right back to my childhood, not in a warm haze but like a slap in my face. Why? What? has made me not revisit that pure childhood joy in decades?! You see, the rustici look exactly like the ‘puffs’ I used to eat from the bakeries. They are albeit a relic of the colonial past but they are thoroughly divine. Filled with spiced vegetables, chicken and more often, my favorite, a half egg with some spiced onions.

I LOVED egg puffs.

They were one of my favorite hot snacks from bakery. The days when I came home from school and my mom had picked them up while finishing errands during her day were the best! They were not always warm but they were always flaky. It was a luxury. One because they were bought from a store and that in itself was a luxury in my house. Two, because, did I say it already; they were divine!

Somehow, since moving here and the puff pastry becoming ubiquitous, I had forgotten my own humble origins. How a bite of a simple pastry could make my life feel rich and sumptuous. Because in the 10 minutes that I took to eat the egg puff (for at least an hour after), I forgot about how I was the awkward one in class, that my skin was too brown for a fairness obsessed culture, that I had no pretty clothes (OMG! that horrendous high waisted jeans I had! :O), that I was the weird kid in class who wore so big an A-line skirt that it looked like a ball gown because my mother chose the cheap tailor. No, for those minutes, I felt equal to the nobility who probably were the only ones who could have afforded such a pastry, only 50 years prior {no thoughts spared on democratization of the economy or anything…!} !

But Juls brought it back. Much like the rustici, or well, any savored dish, there is little about the food itself that makes it special, but rather all the cumulative feelings associated with it. If perhaps, there is one food that in a way describes my journey for the last 25 years, it would be the egg puff. From aspiration and a desperate desire to not stick out like a sore thumb that resulted in a steely resolve to get out and make a better life, to working for that and achieving that goal and yet losing to the rigidity it brought with it, as well as the casual overthrowing of those special moments because they were now too accessible, to opening myself and allowing external influences to soften me again, now.

The last few weeks, have made me realise why I love blogging about food. 11 years ago when I started it, it was my way of finding myself, even though I did not know it myself then. Juls was one the first friends I met in this virtual space, but more importantly, one of the first people who opened my eyes to a world that was so different from my own, and oh so much more intense, fulfilling, beautiful! And, here she did it again. Or, really maybe Tommaso {read her post to see why! :)}

Well, long story (duh!) short, I made egg puffs. I LOVE them! And, so so happy they are back in my life, reminding of my humility and giving me continued joy is simple flavors artfully wrapped! :)

Indian Egg Puffs

{makes 6 puffs}

1 sheet puff pastry, sliced thirds {just cut along the fold lines}

3 eggs, boiled and halved

1 large red onion

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin {bonus if you have cumin-coriander mix}

1/2-3/4 tsp red chilli powder {add per your spice tolerance}

1 egg + 1 tsp water for egg wash

oil and salt as needed

Preheat oven to 375 or 400F per pastry package.

In a shallow pan, heat some oil and fry the cut side of the boiled egg halves to crisp them. Set aside.

In the same pan, wilt the onions with a little salt. When softened, add all the other spices and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the eggs and let them cook for 3 more minutes, stirring gently one to coat the eggs with the spice and flavors.

Roll each third of the puff pastry to be an eighth inch thick keeping it wide enough to fully encase an half egg. Cut each third in half lengthwise.

Place a fried half egg in the center of each square, top with some spiced onions. Fold pastry over and crimp with edges. Brush with egg wash.

Bake per package instructions for the pastry till golden and stably puffed!

Served warm or cold, typical with chai. But also great with ‘hot drinks’! Meaning alcohol, notably whisky! :)