Chilli Crab Puff Got to learn about the opening of the new Gold Xiang Curry Puff whilst scrolling around social media one day — an establishment that seems to join in the likes of the various curry puff stalls that had aggressively opened ip in several hawker centres and coffeeshops of the late. Gold Xiang Curry Puff is an independently-run establishment however — located at Chong Pang Food Centre, they are situated in the middle of the food centre and faces the precinct carpark. As a curry puff specialty stall, Gold Xiang Curry Puff carries a good variety of curry puffs that are stuffed with various fillings — this includes flavours like Curry Chicken, Sardine, Otah, Black Pepper, Yam, Chilli Crab and Durian.
Between the two puffs that we had tried, the Chilli Crab Puff was probably the one that left a bit more of an impression for us. Gold Xiang Curry Puff’s pastry is more similar to the pastry shells that can be found in establishments like Hong Lim Curry Puff rather than that of Old Chang Kee — this also means a lighter pastry skin that is crisp and is also less doughy in general. The puffs are also not too overwhelmingly filled as compared to the likes of the Old Chang Kee variant — more of something that really fits the bill of a curry puff that is found at most individually-run stalls at a hawker centre. What makes the Chilli Crab Puff from Gold Xiang Curry Puff interesting is how it fuses the notes of curry with chili crab just quite nicely — not ditching its identity as a curry puff whilst incorporating the flavours of chili crab as a complimentary experience to the curry puff. Though it might be something that may not hit with chili crab purists, we did notice soft chunks of curry potatoes tucked in one corner of the puff that provided a soft, fluffy texture and a turmeric-based note of curry fragrance; all that whilst being matched with a slightly sweet and tangy sauce replicating that of chili crab which laces around the surimi crab stick shreds within the puff itself to replicate the flavours of chili crab at the same time