Egg waffle

Egg waffle

Small ball-shaped egg waffle and large European-style waffles at a street food stand
Alternative names Egg puff, egg waffle, puffe, gai daan jai, egglet
Type Pancake or waffle
Place of origin Hong Kong
Serving temperature Hot
Main ingredients Eggs, sugar, flour, evaporated milk
Cookbook: Egg waffle  Media: Egg waffle
Egg waffle
Traditional Chinese 雞蛋仔
Simplified Chinese 鸡蛋仔
Cantonese Jyutping Gai1 daan6 zai2
Literal meaning Chicken egg + [diminutive suffix]
Egg batter is poured over a special waffle pan before being heated on a charcoal stove.

An egg waffle is a spherical egg-based waffle popular in Hong Kong and Macau,[1] and is an eggy leavened batter cooked between two plates of semi-spherical cells. They are best served hot, and often eaten plain, although they may be served with fruit and flavours such as strawberry, coconut or chocolate.[2] It is referred to by its original Cantonese name, gai daan jai (鷄蛋仔),[1] and in English, an egg puff, bubble waffle, eggette, pancake balls, pancake waffle, egglet, and puffle. They are sometimes referred to as Hong Kong cakes in Chinatowns across America, especially in New York.[3]

Egg waffle are among the most popular Hong Kong "street snacks" and were ranked No.1 in a 100 most popular HK street snack listing.[4] They have been a favoured street snack since their emergence in the 1950s, when they were made with coal fire heating and sold from street kiosks in Hong Kong.[5][6][7]

History

The origins of the egg waffle or gai daan jai (which literally translates to "little chicken egg") are unknown, despite being ingrained in the memories of Hong Kong residents young and old. "One story says the enterprising post-war generation created the egg-shaped mold to make up for an eggless batter, as eggs used to be a luxury. Another tale points to street hawkers who bought damaged eggs on the cheap to work them into a batter, resulting in the classic golden color of the cake. It also is reasonable to suggest that the special iron skillet used to mold the gai daan tsai is a Hong Kong take on the traditional checkered European waffle press. Today, the two related snacks are often sold by the same stall."[1]

Preparation

Egg waffles are made from a sweet, egg-rich batter that is cooked on a hot griddle, a special frying pan with small round cells (resembling an æbleskiver pan but with a higher number of smaller round cells). The griddle is set on hot coals in the fire, or more commonly on an electrical heater. The batter is poured over the special frying pan and heated; the small ovals of egg waffles are thus formed. The crucial key to prepare a crispy egg waffle is to turn over the pan quickly after the batter is poured into the hot frying pan. This could create an egg waffle that is crispy on top, and cake-like on the bottom.[7] In addition to the conventional "egg taste", they are also available in a variety of flavours such as chocolate, green-tea, ginger, etc. Most batters used in egg waffle are quick breads, although some are also made using a yeast-raised or fermented batter. Egg waffles can be eaten at different times of the day, depending on local tradition.

Modern flavours

Egg waffles nowadays are being reinvented. Besides the traditional egg waffle, it is common to see them in a variety of flavours such as green tea, cheese or purple sweet potato.[8] Egg waffles are also often paired with different desserts like ice cream.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Gai daan tsai challenge: The quest for Hong Kong's best egg waffle". CNN Travel. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  2. ↑ Hong Kong — Street’s snack review at Kaboodle
  3. ↑ "Lost Tastes: Perfect Hong Kong Cakes". Serious Eats. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  4. ↑ TVB: Top Eats 100
  5. ↑ Kissell, Joe (29 November 2006). "Eggettes". The Geeky Gourmet.
  6. ↑ "Hong Kong Cakes". Gothamist.com. 3 September 2006.
  7. 1 2 http://hk-magazine.com/article/inside-hk/mr-know-it-all/19012/who-invented-hong-kong-egg-puff
  8. ↑ http://www.jessicahk.com/articles/xiang-gang-du-you-ji-dan-zi-xin-jiu-zi-wei-ren-ni-jian
  9. ↑ http://www.afoodieworld.com/mabellui/4911-egg-waffles-reinvented

Further reading

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