Eggette
An eggette is a kind of spherical pancake or ball waffle popular in Hong Kong and Macao. The food item is also referred to as an
egg puff, egg waffle,
puffle or by its Cantonese name, gai daan jai, and is made from
eggs,
sugar,
flour, and light evaporated
milk. They are best served hot, and often eaten plain. They can also be served with fruit and flavors such as
strawberry,
coconut or
chocolate. They are sometimes referred to as "Hong Kong cakes" in Chinatowns across America, especially in New York.
Eggettes are one of the most popular Hong Kong "street snacks" and were ranked No.1 in a 100 most popular HK "street snack" listing. They have been a favoured street snack in HK since their emergence in 1950s, when they were made with coal fire heating and sold from street kiosks in Hong Kong.
Preparation
Eggettes are made from a sweet batter that is cooked on a hot griddle, a special frying pan with small round "wells". The griddle is set on hot coals in the fire, or more commonly on an electrical heater. The egg batter is poured over the special frying pan and heated; the small ovals of eggettes are thus formed. In addition to the conventional "egg taste", they are also available in a variety of flavours such as chocolate, green-tea,
ginger, etc. Most pancakes are quick breads, although some are also made using a
yeast-raised or fermented batter. Eggettes can be eaten at different times of the day depending on local tradition.
