20090621 Hong Kong Style Sourdough Egg Puffs - 港式天然酵母雞蛋仔
I'm very happy to have worked out this recipe, not only because I am adding a new variety to the many existing recipes using sourdough starter discard, but it has also brought back a lot of fond memories from my childhood.
Egg puffs were one of my favorite after-school snacks that I picked up from a street hawker outside my elementary school. Those freshly made egg puffs had soothed and warmed my rumbling stomach at winter dusk-I was in the PM section of my elementary school.
To make egg puffs, a thin batter of eggs, sugar, and evaporated milk is prepared. A two-piece egg puff iron is needed to produce these hollow, crispy egg-shaped waffles, giving them the Cantonese name that literally means 'little eggs'. Street hawkers heat their irons on charcoal stoves, which are much more powerful than my electric stove at home.
Street hawkers also use the same batter to make 'grid biscuits', which are very similar to waffles. They are round in shape and have four quadrants. These biscuits are usually served with a spread of butter and peanut butter and sprinkled with sugar on top. Therefore, if you dont' have an egg puff iron at home, you may try this recipe with a regular waffle maker.
Even though I'm thousands of miles away from my hometown across the Pacific, distance, thanks to these 'little eggs', only makes the heart grow fonder.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33569048@N05/sets/72157620248658035/show/
| 100% hydration starter | = | 1 | cup | |||||
| Evaporated milk | = | 2 | oz | |||||
| Eggs | = | 2 | ||||||
| Tapioca starch | = | 1 | oz | |||||
| Castor sugar | = | 4 | oz | |||||
| Baking soda | = | 1/4 | tsp | |||||
| Baking powder | = | 1/2 | tsp | |||||
| Optional | ||||||||
| Custard powder | = | 2 | TBSP | |||||
| Vanila extract | = | 1 | tsp | |||||
| 1 | Whisk all ingredients until well mixed | |||||||
| 2 | Heat up both pieces of egg puff iron and lightly spray with oil | |||||||
| 3 | Pour batter to the base piece to about 90% full | |||||||
| Close with another piece, then turn upside down | ||||||||
| 4 | Take turns to heat both sides until the egg puffs are done (It took Yippee 20 minutes on her electric stove) | |||||||
| 5 | Cool egg puffs on wire rack for 10 minutes before serving | |||||||
A non-starter version recipe:
| All purpose or cake flour | = | 4 | oz |
| Tapioca starch | = | 1 | oz |
| Castor sugar | = | 4 | oz |
| Baking powder | = | 1 | tsp |
| Water | = | 4 | oz |
| Evaporated milk | = | 2 | oz |
| Eggs | = | 2 | |
| Optional | |||
| Custard powder | = | 2 | TBSP |
| Vanila extract | = | 1 | tsp |
This will be submitted to Wild Yeast Yeastspotting!
Comments
I loved the Egg puffs too and I brought the egg iron pan a few years ago in HK, but have not able to find a recipe to make the puffs. Can you post your recipe?
siuflower
Enjoy!
Yippee
Oh they look so good. I would like to try but I don't have an egg puff iron (where did you find it any way?). Think I can use the recipe to make waffles instead?
althetrainer:
Definitely, even though I have no idea what the timing is. Like I mentioned in the post, the street hawkers use the same batter to make the waffle-like grid biscuits, too.
Try Chinatown where cookware or kitchen supplies are sold, and show them you're looking for this:
雞蛋仔模
Yippee
The next time I go to Chinatown I will look for them. Making waffles is good but the little egg puffs will make perfect after school snacks. My neighbor's kids often come over after school and they always expect some baked goods from me. I am sure they will love these.
Hi Yippee
I am in South Africa here don't have good chinese shop, sorry to ask u do u may have a recipe of 100% hyration starter for the puffs? I really like to try it they look so yummy!! can u help me please!!!
Wan ping
Wan Ping:
You don't need to use a starter if you don't have one. A starter is what we cultivate to make sourdough breads. I'll update my recipe to include a non-starter version.
Do you have an egg puff iron? If not, a regular waffle maker should work. You just need to play with it to figure out the timing.
Yippee
Hi Yippee
Thank you for your kindness,I don't have a egg puff iron but I will try on regular waffle maker.
wan ping
Oh, I love those 雞蛋仔! They look perfect and bring back wonderful memories indeed. Thanks :)
Yippee
Hi Yippee
Thank your recipe, I will let you know how they come out, thank you!!
wan ping
Thank you for the recipe, I can use my pan to make some of the egg puffs.
siuflower
Resist the temptation to peek through the irons while the puffs are forming or you'll end up with crushed / deflated puffs.
Just think of this as making sunny side up the Chinese way, 燒紅油鍋煎荷包蛋, heat up the irons really well with a spray of oil on it before pouring the batter. If you have gas stove, the color will come out even better. Good luck!
Yippee
the iron is used on a stove top, not in an oven. Tis will be a problem for me because we have a glass top oven. You think I can put the iron in the oven to bake it instead?
althetrainer:
The handles are made of wood.
Yippee
Darn! In that case I will have to move on to plan B: using a waffle maker instead. Thanks Yippee.
Drat, I don't have a waffle iron either! I love the way these look and sound though.
Hi, fel:
I'd first make sure the above ingredients have not expired their shelf lives. Then try this: after you mix the batter, let it sit for an hour, then proceed. There's something going on between the chemicals during this wait period but I don't remember exactly what it is. Some recipes suggest this step but I never paid any particular attention to it while making my egg puffs. However, I made my batches on an electric stove, which took much more time than making them on a gas stove, maybe the time between batches did allow the ingredients to do whatever they needed to do and thus mine turned out fine. Hope this helps.
Yippee
Hi Yippee,
I used to purchase these puffs in Chinatown in NYC. This brings back alot of memories!
what can i use to replace the tapioca starch?
I can't wait to give this a try... Can I bake these in mini muffin tins?
P.s. this is great - now I can use up some of my disgarded sourdough starter.
Happy baking - LeeYong
this sounds wonderful. could this be cooked in an aebleskiver pan?
take care, claudia
Hello Yippee
I never imagined that I would find something in chinese on this web site I love what you're doing, are you from HK? I'd love to learn more about bread making and am finding this quite a challenge. Is there a way that we can connect, just so that we can exchange recipes and ideas. I would really like to take up a course in bread making, if only they have this in HK.
Hi,
This batter is very delicious, no matter how you 'cook' it. What you'll miss, if an egg puff iron is not used, is the cute egglet shape but don't let that stop you from trying! Let me know how it turns out.
LeeYong: try cornstarch if you don't have tapioca starch.
Yippee
Hi, jyslouey:
Here at TFL is where you'll meet a lot of enthusiastic and knowledgeable bakers and find great formulae. If you have any questions about bread baking, post it in the forum and you'll have your answers in no time. Also, you may send a private message to any member here for specific questions.
Start with a good bread book and some simple formulae. Work your way up. Ask questions and give the process some serious thoughts. You'll advance one day. Don't feel discouraged if you can't find a bread course you desire in your area. A course is an enhancement but not a requirement for you to become a good baker.
What kind of bread are you most interested in learning?
Yippee
Hi Yippie, Thank you for taking the time to respond. I have been following this website for quite some time now and have on two occasions submitted my work for comments which I find to be most helpful and encouraging. I first started taking an interest in bread making when I purchased a bread machine but the results were often mixed and not quite to my satisfaction so it's now sitting in the storeroom unused. I find it easier to use my hands when I can actually get a feel of the dough. I have many books on bread making but until I can master the basic techniques, I am not confident with the more elaborate recipes.
Let me try to send you a message as I don't want to go off topic here. I've never sent a private message to anyone on this website before but will give it a try. Thanks again.
Hi,
I was rummaging through old posts and saw you have a bread machine.
Recently new members have been posting on bread machines.
I do most of my baking with Zojirushi BM and the sourdough called clas.
Zojirushi does a great job mixing bread dough. What machine do you have?
Keep baking bread!