Curry puffs and kaya puffs...

... are 2 of Malaysia's favorite stuffed pastries. Today we venture to get the best of both puffs.

First stop - to SS2 in PJ. This is where we get one of the nicest curry puffs that I can find. We head to Hock Seng Two coffee shop. The shop is located at the corner of Jalan SS 2/66 and SS 2/67. It is a busy makan place, specked in the middle of the hectic SS2 commercial area.

At the front of this coffee shop is a stall that does a roaring business just on curry puffs.

And it is easy to see why.  One look at the puff and you know it is a winner. The puffs look so very good. They are fried there at the stall and are done to a crisp golden brown.

 

And they taste delicious too. The skin is crisp and flaky and it stays crispy for a very long time. It does not go soft even after several hours exposed to our humidity. The crispy golden skin is definitely a contributor to the goodness of the puff.

The stuffing is equally delicious. It is a nice, rich and aromatic curry of chicken and potato. Most curry puffs we eat are just potatoes. In this puff, we get generous bits of chicken meat.

The puffs are quite big in size, measuring about 13 cm long. At RM 1.20 per piece, I think it is quite good value for money.

Next we go get some kaya puffs. For this we head north, some 200 km away to one of my favorite Malaysian cities - Ipoh. The name of the shop selling the really nice kaya pastries is Sing Eng Heong. The shop is located on Jalan Mustapha Al-bakri, off Jalan Raja Ekran.

It is a biscuit shop, selling all kinds of freshly made Malaysian cookies.

But its specialty is kaya puff. The kaya puffs in this shop is very popular. Be prepared to be disappointed because if you do not make prior reservation, you will very probably find yourself in a long waiting queue or may not even be able to get them at all. It is advisable to call in to book your puffs at least a day ahead. The number to call is 05-2439659.

The puffs are sold in boxes of 10 or packets of 5. By kaya puffs standard, they are quite small - measuring only about 8 cm.

The skin is nice and fluffy. The kaya stuffing is thick, rich and sweet. They both combine to make the puff a really nice snack. But they are best eaten fresh, preferably within the day. If kept too long, the puff loses its fluffiness and becomes quite ordinary.

While in Ipoh, we might as well have some tau fu fah (豆腐花) at Funny Mountain and perhaps even some chicken and taugeh (芽菜雞) at Lou Wong because they are both within walking vicinity from the kaya puff shop.