Ah, the good ol’ curry puff or more fondly known as karipap. Everyone’s favourite snack to eat for breakfast, lunch, tea time and dinner. It’s one of the most evergreen food that’s perfect for any occasion.
Want to have your own curry puff stock at home? Try this recipe!
Did you know that there are other versions of curry puff from other countries? It looks the same but each country has its own unique flavours.
1. Calzone
Popular in Italy and the United States, a calzone is actually a type of pizza. Instead of having the toppings on top, it is stuffed inside.
Originating from Naples, it’s usually made from salted bread dough and is stuffed with toppings like ham, salami, vegetables, mozarella, ricotta and parmesan cheese. Some even have eggs in them.
Some districts even have fried calzones which are called panzerotti. Calzones are often sold by the street vendors because it’s convenient to eat while walking.
2. Empanada
Empanadas actually originated from Spain but is often served in countries of the Americas. Their stuffing consists of meat, cheese and corn.
In Chile, the empanada is considered the most symbolic food of the country; eating empanadas there- especially the meat ones- is more popular in September as Chile celebrates their independence that month.
3. Epok-epok
Some may be confused and say that curry puffs and epok-epok are the same, however that isn’t the case at all. Unlike the curry puff, epok-epok doesn’t contain any curry in its filling. Originating from Singapore, the epok-epok is usually filled with vegetables and is served with a side of chili sauce.
4. Pastel
Originating from Indonesia, pastel is filled with chicken, chopped carrots, bean and rice vermicelli. This is usually eaten as a snack and sold in many traditional markets. Sometimes, an egg might be included in the stuffing.
5. Panada
Also from Indonesia, panada is a filled with spicy tuna or cakalang fish. The crust has more of a bread-like texture. It is usually served as a snack.
6. Panades
Panades is popular in Belize, a country in North America. A community will usually gather to make it together; each with their own special tasks.
Panades is a corn tortilla that folded in half and filled with smoked fish, beans or fish. It is also served with a sauce called cortido that is made from white vinegar, onions, salt and habanero.
7. ‘Mpanatigghi
The ‘Mpanatigghi is typically served in Modica, in the province of Ragusa, Sicily. It is also known as impanatiglie. Its stuffing is a mixture of sugar, cinnamon, cloves, almonds, walnuts, chocolate and minced meat.