Eggettes, also known as gai daan jaai, are a popular egg-shaped waffle snack in Hong Kong and Macau. They are made by pouring batter onto special iron pans and are traditionally heated over hot coals. They have a crunchy exterior and a soft, fluffy interior. Modern variations include flavors like red bean, chocolate, and coconut. The main ingredients are flour, sugar, egg, and evaporated milk. The batter takes only minutes to put together and should be eaten hot.
An eggette is an egg-shaped waffle snack that is very popular in Hong Kong and Macau. Thought to have emerged in the 1950s, eggettes are one of Hong Kong’s most classic street foods. They are crunchy on the outside and fluffy and soft on the inside. They are known as gai daan jaai in Chinese which means small chicken eggs. Some food aficionados liken eggettes to bubble wraps made of delicious cakes.
The snack’s name is thought to come from its resemblance to eggs, and egg stalls can be found scattered throughout Hong Kong. It is also known as a bubble waffle, egg puff, or ball waffle. While their origins are unknown, some believe they were created in the postwar era when eggs were a premium. Others believe that local street vendors created the eggs as a snack to use up their store of damaged eggs, which they had bought for good money. Some even speculate that they were created as a Chinese version of the traditional waffle press.
This delicious snack is prepared by pouring batter made from eggs, sugar and flour onto special iron pans or griddles. The pan has tiny round wells where the batter settles. It is traditionally heated over hot coals and the resulting eggs have a beautiful golden colour. About the size of a small quail egg, each individual egg is done when crisp on the outside. Many street vendors still sell the plain version of eggette, and the recipe hasn’t changed for decades.
Modernization has meant that many eggplant varieties become popular over time. You can find eggettes with flavors like red bean, chocolate, honeydew, and coconut. Green tea, matcha with sesame seeds, and ginger are some other variations. Sometimes they’re even served as pancakes with some fruit and whipped cream. Snatching individual eggs from a waffle-like sheet is a fun way to consume this traditional street food.
True eggettes have not only crunchy shells, but soft vanilla-flavored centers that have a slightly spongy texture. Improperly made eggettes have sticky fillings or taste too sweet or milky. Eggettes were not made at home in the past because they could so easily be purchased outside street vendors. Some companies have created egg pans, allowing cooks to whip them up at home.
The main ingredients used to make eggs are flour, sugar, egg and evaporated milk. Vanilla extract, vegetable oil and tapioca starch are also used. The recipe also calls for baking powder, custard and vanilla extract in small quantities. Flour, starch and other powders are mixed together in a bowl to begin with. The sugar and eggs are beaten successively until they reach a smooth consistency and evaporated milk is added.
The flour mixture is added to the egg, sugar and milk mixture and beaten until all the lumps of flour are gone. A little vegetable oil and vanilla extract are added to it and the mixture is left to stand for a while. The batter literally takes only minutes to put together. It can be refrigerated for about an hour to thicken it more. Making eggs is as simple as heating the pan until hot and pouring the batter evenly.
The plates are closed together and flipped to fill the mold evenly. Eggs need to be turned in half and cook in about five minutes. They are ready when they reach a crunchy golden color and should be eaten hot. The treat should be laid out on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
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