literal translation, aka egg puff, Gei Dan Jai, Egg Waffle, or Eggette, a cross between a little popover and a waffle. It’s one of the long-standing popular street foods in Hong Kong...fond memory from my childhood, frequent patron of local street hawkers after school and after dinner with my parents. Years passed. How ironic that it too has become my kids’ absolute-favorite snack, each time we visited my mom in San Francisco?
Source: Christinesrecipes.com
Great treat comes with a hefty price-tag. Last time we paid about $6 for a dozen and they disappeared as quickly as they were put in the mouth. For years, I have been searching, hi and lo, for an egg puff iron.
Source: Williams-Sonoma
A friend told me she got one from her mom, ordered online for $30 from England, as a house-warming gift when she moved here 4 or 5 years ago. A couple of years ago, Martha Kay at Barnes & Noble here told me it’s Danish Ebelskivers. I asked a knowledgeable, kitchen-shop owner in town and it’s foreign to her. Last year, I found an electric one at Williams-Sonoma for $59.95 and a Nordic Ware Egg Waffle Pan for $49.95 that looks like it may do the job. But, no thanks…the price is a tad steep for this gadget girl’s pocket. The quest continues without any luck locating it…until now. As seen on TV, a cake pop or donut hole maker by Belle, sold at Target for under $20. I know, not the same…far from the real thing. Heck, this will just have to do. I will make it work if it kills me ‘cuz–believe it or not–it’s one of my dreams. I can do it.
Now comes the un-venting experiment…
INGREDIENTS (Makes over 4 dozens)
1.5 C Flour
3 T Cornstarch
1.5 t Baking Powder
3 Eggs
1 t Vanilla
½ C Sugar
½ C Sweetened Condensed milk
3/4 C Water
DIRECTION
Pre-heat for a minute. Coat the holes with olive oil spray or a dab of butter and heat until hot. Shift flour, cornstarch and baking powder together into a mixing bowl. Add rest of ingredients and mix well. Fill each hole with a tablespoon of batter and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Rotate half-baked ball over 180° with a fork.
Let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out cleans, it’s finished.
Take the puffs out of the holes (with fingers or a fork, your choice) and lay them over a wire rack to cool.
Chinese egg waffle shapes like an hallow-egg. Soft, not dense. Crispy outside, with a dab of creamy custard inside. My first production isn’t so…not as crispy and fluffy…regardless, the pre-teen boy gave it two thumbs-up.♥ I need to improve this base and work up a recipe with custard filling next. The past is where I learned the lesson. The future is where I apply the lesson. I won’t give up in the middle. To crank out a batch of six at a time…I wonder if it’s more time and energy efficient, in the long haul, making the puffs with a Nordic Ware Egg Waffle Pan. Have you ever have these yummy, little eggs?
What do you think of the topsy-turvy spring tease?
Whacky? Some says there is no melting of the ice caps while another says the ice caps are melting the same as they always have since the last ice age. While the planet gets tossed about in space on its axis by forces I cannot yet comprehend or alone control, I’m gonna buckle my seat belt, sit back, and enjoy the ride while I am still…alive.
Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!
(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…but caved into Facebook!)
Just saying…
