Steamed Ginger Milk Custard

Ever tried this steamed milk custard? It’s so smooth that even tofu fa (a kind of traditional Chinese dessert, aka soy milk custard) can’t beat it. It’s a perfect quick dessert after dinner.

The pungent aroma of ginger makes the silky milk custard so wonderful. My family loves its simplicity and silky texture. Ginger is widely used in Chinese herbal medication as it helps our blood circulation and treats indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea, and nausea.

Read More

Steamed Eggs 蒸水蛋 (Silky Smooth Tips + Video)

This silky smooth savoury steamed eggs dish is so easy to make. It goes really well with steamed rice.

Steamed egg is a very popular dish in Hong Kong cooking. It’s simple and nourishing. We love its silky smooth texture and savory taste that goes really well with steamed rice.

Armed with my Instant Pot, an electronic programmed pressure cooker, I don’t need to worry about the timing and temperature. Simply press the buttons and leave it on the bench doing the job for me.

I can be very confident to get the exactly same result every time, watching my family enjoying the silky smooth steamed eggs.

In the video below, you'll see how easy to make this dish.

Read More

Hong Kong Style Egg Waffle (雞蛋仔 Original Flavour)

The egg waffle shaped like an egg, in Chinese it’s called 雞蛋仔 (literally means little eggs), one of the long standing popular street foods in Hong Kong. It’s one of my favourite childhood foods. I remember that I ate a whole packet after school nearly every weekday. 

After moving to Australia, I miss this delicious snack very much, yet hardly tried to make any at home, simply because I don’t have the mould specially designed for making this snack. After posting the recipe of waffle (Hong Kong Style), many readers sent me emails asking for the recipe of 雞蛋仔. My dear readers you get it now after a long wait. One of my fans of my Chinese food blog, Anne Yeung wrote a guest post sharing her recipe. Anne and I share the same love of this unique Hong Kong hawker food. Many thanks for her time and generous sharing.

Origin of Hong Kong Style Egg Waffle
The Hong Kong style Egg Waffle is a unique street hawker food in Hong Kong. Piece by piece they come in a golden coloured honeycomb shape and gives out a rich aroma of cake flavour. It is in fact hollow in shape … it gives one an extraordinary experience when biting on it as it has a distinct texture of having a crispy shell with inner softness.

In accordance to information available, the Hong Kong Style Egg Waffle is originated in the 1950s. In an effort of making use of some cracked eggs, an Asian grocery shop’s owner made an attempt of developing this egg batter. Sugar, flour and evaporated milk were added to an egg batter and was poured into a honey-comb metal plate to cook into waffle. Traditionally, the Hong Kong Egg Waffles are made over charcoal flames. However, most people nowadays use electric stove tops due to cost efficiency and safety reasons. (Information gathered from https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh/雞蛋仔).

Nowadays, the Hong Kong Style Egg Waffle has its original formula improved to also come in an array of different flavours and they include chocolate, strawberry; original flavour with shredded coconuts, black sesame, etc. However, the original flavour still remains as the majority out of all.

My special feel with the Hong Kong Style Waffle
My childhood is like many others ... I grew up with the ‘companionship’ of the Hong Kong Style Egg Waffles …

I can never forget about that special bond I had with the Hong Kong Style Egg Waffles … perhaps I should have said I am reluctant to have forgotten about it, probably due to the fact that the deep rich egg aroma has concealed within it my personal growing up memories in Hong Kong.

My son is already the generation which is born overseas … it is not possible for him to fully understand that feeling that I have with the Hong Kong Egg Waffle. But what a mother can do is to learn making so at home, at least to give that tiny little chance to my next generation the opportunity of tasting that rich egg aroma over the other side of the world.

Read More

Steamed Eggs With Milk Dessert Recipe

This steamed eggs with milk dessert is very popular in Hong Kong, and also my childhood dessert that I grew up with. The egg custard texture is so smooth as silk. Armed with this recipe, you can make your own at home at a very high success rate.

I remember my dad always took me to a popular Chinese dessert restaurant when I was young. Not only did the dessert taste good, but also the companion with my dad made my heart feel so sweet.

Read More

Red Dates and Egg Tea

Ever heard or tried this red date tea? This is a kind of Chinese traditional herbal soup. Chinese believes that red dates (紅棗) are very good for women’s health. Oh, well, pardon me. If you’re a male, skip this recipe, or pass it to your female friends.

Red dates contain much iron that can help women get speedy recovery from delivery and menstruation. Apart from the said medical effects, red dates also can help improve skin become tender and smooth.

Read More

Creme Caramel (Valentine's Day Dessert)

My husband loves eggs. He loves every egg dish, no matter whether it’s savoury or sweet. For Valentine’s Day, it’s quite natural to make something simple and sweet. It’s a day to relax with minimum cooking time, if not dining out. So I prepared some crème caramel, a classic French dessert.

I often think crème caramel is quite similar to the Hong Kong steamed custard. The former is baked in an oven, whereas the latter is steamed in a wok. The highlight of the French dessert is the caramel – an elegant and sensational caramelized syrup. Super delicious.

Read More

Steamed Soft Boiled Eggs

Soft-boiled eggs with yolks a bit runny are very charming for many foodies like me. I know, I know, some people like hard-boiled eggs instead.
Ever tried steaming eggs? Here's a trick that helps you can make your most favourite soft boiled eggs every time.

Sometimes I like to have a soft-boiled eggs for breakfast or go with a bowl of hot noodle soup. The eggs take the whole bowl of noodle soup up a level, appealing to eyes and taste buds.

I used to cook eggs in boiling water. This method is good but quite tricky. The egg shells will easily crack in the boiling water. If using this steaming method, you’ll have peace in mind. The eggs won’t easily bump together and get cracked. It's very easy to peel the egg shells as well.

Yet, I tested with chilled eggs. Chilled eggs straight from fridge will crack easily.

So bear in mind, use eggs at room temperature. The next thing is that accurate cooking time determines your success in getting your favourite soft-boiled eggs. That’s it. You’re good to go. So those people who like hard-boiled eggs can use this simple steaming method too.

Read More

Chinese Tea Eggs (茶葉蛋)

Chinese tea eggs, traditionally served during Chinese New Year celebrations, are easy to make. Simply prepare some boiled eggs and steep them in tea marinade. After a few hours, you can enjoy the flavourful and tasty eggs for tea time.

Chinese tea is good for cleansing our digestive system. Often times, we’d like to have a cup of Chinese tea after a meal. Sometimes, I use Chinese tea for cooking. I got a can of Tieguanyin (鐵觀音茶) from a friend that is perfect to make some tea eggs, my long-time favourite snack. The marbled pattern on the egg white is very appealing to eyes.

Read More

Stir-fried Prawns with Eggs (滑蛋蝦仁)

This homey dish, Stir-fried Prawns with Eggs is very popular in Chinese restaurants. It's so quick and easy to make at home. Best of all, it's absolutely tasty.

The prawns/shrimps used must be very fresh. Although I can’t find any live prawns here, the frozen, raw ones are still good for making this dish.

This dish is like cooking scrambled eggs with prawns. Both of the smell and taste of the eggs with prawns are so good and tempting. No wonder many Chinese people love this dish.

This dish looks simple and easy to make. But frying smooth and silky eggs needs some practices and experiences. Is there any trick to help?

Read More

Egg Tarts (Hong Kong Style)

This Cantonese Egg Tart is a very traditional Chinese dessert that you'll find in many Hong Kong restaurants (茶餐廳 Cha Chaan Teng).

When I traveled on a bus one day during my holidays in Hong Kong, I saw “Road Show” that was a TV program, showing former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten also liked eating egg tarts. There are two kinds of tart shells, one is puff pastry-like (酥皮底), the other cookie-like（牛油皮底）. The governor liked the latter, just like me. Haha…

Read More

Yoghurt Custard with Mixed Berries

This yoghurt custard with mixed berries is a guilt-free dessert to wrap up your dinner. It can be made on the go.

I like all sorts of berries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. Not only they have amazing health benefits with lots of antioxidants that can boost our immune system, but also they are juicy and tasty.

With some berries, this baked custard was turned into a very balanced delicious dessert to wrap up my dinner. The dessert was even more superb by adding some yoghurt. It’s absolutely a guilt-free dessert. It can be served warm or cold.

Read More

Steamed Eggs with Dried Scallops

The smooth, silky steamed eggs infused with the heavenly tasty smell of dried scallops, goes very well with rice.

Dried scallops (or conpoy) are made from the abductor muscle of scallops, a prized delicacy in Hong Kong Cantonese cooking. For those who are interested in knowing more about this priced seafood, please hop over and read this article about dried scallops on Wikipedia.

Read More

Pork & Bean Sprout Omelette (With Video)

There are plenty of ways to cook eggs. One of my favourite ways is to simply pan fry them with some vegetables and/or meat. I used bean sprouts and pork the other day. My family was just loving it.

The omelette was gone in a few minutes. The dish can be done within 15 minutes as long as you have silver sprouts (銀芽) ready, that their ends are trimmed.

To prepare silver sprouts is not that difficult, yet quite time consuming. For convenience, you can skip this step. All parts of a bean sprout can be eaten after all. This Hong Kong style omelette dish is best served with light soy sauce and chilli sauce.

Read More

Pan-Fried Prawns with Milk and Egg Whites

This stir-fried prawns with egg whites dish is so smooth and delicious. By adding some milk into the egg whites, it creates more creaminess and nutrients. My family just loves it. This dish can be served on its own or go with a bowl of steamed rice.

Having had the popular stir-fried prawns with eggs for countless times, I decided to detour and make a similar dish only with egg whites. The verdict was that I loved to pan-fry prawns with egg whites again and again.

Read More

Deviled Eggs (or Angeled Eggs)

These deviled eggs are very delicious and well-liked at any parties, perfectly served as finger food. The whites are not chewy but soft and smooth, with well-seasoned yolks on top.

I can understand why we have eggs during Easter. Eggs symbolize life, making sense to me in relation to the meaning of Easter.

Read More

Spicy Soft Boiled Eggs (Instant Pot + Video)

I’m so into soft boiled eggs. The creamy yolk, a bit running inside the tender egg white is the charming part. It’s best to get organic or free range eggs as they are more flavoursome.

When it comes to making soft boiled eggs, it’s not that difficult as you thought once you get the exact cooking time right. I did several test runs with my Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker) to cook eggs. Armed with the pressure cooker, it’s no fuss at all to get that kind of yolk I like. All I need to do is to stay on the spot and get myself ready to retrieve the cooked eggs out from the cooker and soak them in cold water immediately.

The shells can be removed very easily. The spicy sauce that the boiled eggs are marinated with is tasty, just like those ramen eggs you enjoy at Japanese restaurants, but enriched with more fragrance.

Read More

Spinach and Soft Boiled Egg in Broth

I was very glad to get some beautiful spinach sold at a bargain price. One of the best ways of cooking spinach is making soup. This no-brainer soup only takes 10 minutes to make. Nothing can be easier. How about the taste? It all depends on the soup base you choose. Chicken broth is a good choice, homemade or your favourite brand. If you want to use vegetable soup base, it’ll work too. The umami taste of the dried scallop will make your soup more delicious. The highlight is the soft boiled egg. Not only the runny egg yolk in the just-cooked egg white attracts your eye balls, but also it entertains your taste buds.

Read More

Flourless Banana Pancakes (Three Ingredients)

You only need three ingredients to make banana pancakes. It’s flourless and gluten free. Nothing can be easier. The little bit of salt is to enhance the flavours of bananas. You can skip it though, ending up with only using two ingredients. This is another way of getting rid of the ripe bananas sitting on my bench top. The natural sweetness and fragrance of ripe bananas are the soul and spirit of the snack. They are best served hot straight from the pan. A side note, after I posted and shared this recipe on my Chinese fan page, I was glad that many readers tried and told me their babies liked this snack.

Read More

Japanese Egg and Mashed Potato Salad

Ever wonder why most kids are quite hard to be convinced to eat more vegetables? What many parents I know share the common trick of how to get kids eat more vegetables is to hide them somewhere in the dish.

Besides, I find another trick that works for my family is to make this creamy potato salad. I can blend as many veggies with the creamy mashed potato as I like. My daughter even asked for more and wanted to have it again for lunch the next day. I definitely won’t let her down upon this kind of request.

Read More

No-Bake Pumpkin Crème Brulee

What about the egg yolks after I used the egg whites to make the steamed ginger milk custard? I didn’t waste them. I made pumpkin crème brulee at the same time, then refrigerated them to be enjoyed the next day. Pumpkin is known as a super food, very nuturious, extremely high in fiber and low in calories. Thus, I cook pumpkin for my family quite often, not just on Thanksgiving day. The traditional way of making crème brulee is “hot water bath” in an oven. In order to shorten the cooking time, I detoured and steamed the custard. Believe it or not, the family couldn’t tell the smooth and creamy custard was not from our oven compared to those I baked before.

Read More