Hong Kong Egg Tart is one of our favourite pastries of all time! During our childhood, we kept on craving it every week. We kept on pestering our mom to get some for us, especially those from Tai Chong Kok which is just a street away from where we stay. It got sold out in 30 minutes once they are out of the oven.

The circular tarts of pastry, filled with a smooth, lightly sweetened egg custard, just melt into our mouth. It is best to enjoy them when they are out of the oven, the crunchy tart shell is all that we need. However, as time goes by we couldn’t bear to get them when the price got increased from 90 cents to $1.20 per piece. Now many of the places sell them up to $2.20 per piece making it an expensive delight.

While we do still purchase them from the store but the best part is, you can make them at home! You can enjoy it as much as you want!

Type of Egg Tart

There are many kinds of Egg Tarts; Hong Kong Style is the classic egg tart with a buttery shell, Portuguese Egg Tarts one with puff pastry and caramelized top, and there are even Cheesy Egg Tarts with cream cheese in it. This time we are going to share with you the most classic one that we saw in the dim sum restaurant – the Hong Kong Egg Tart.

Making the base

Many of the recipes use the rub-in method for making the base of the pastry, it does give you the melt-into-mouth texture. However, when the weather is getting warmer we don’t recommend that, as it will only lead to your cold butter melting fast in your finger which is what we don’t want to happen. Thus we decide to use a mixer instead when it comes to this step.

In your mixer, add in the cold butter and powder sugar, incorporate it well until you don’t see the powder sugar in a low skip. Add in the egg and mix it well for 2 minutes at a higher speed before adding in the flour. Continue mixing it until you see the dough is formed. Divide the dough equally and press them into your tart mould. Pierce a few holes in the bottom with a fork to prevent the bottom of the pastry from rising.

Making the Custart

Making the custard of the egg tart is easier than you could think. Dissolve the sugar into 1 cup of hot water, and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Whisk milk, eggs, and vanilla together, and then thoroughly whisk in the sugar water. Strain the custard through a fine-meshed strainer into a large measuring cup or pitcher (something with a pour spout) to get rid of those bubbles, and to produce a smooth egg tart.

Now you have both your elements, fill the custard filling into the tart base to 80%. Once the tart bases are filled with egg filling, bake immediately in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C/390 degrees F for 15 minutes, followed by 180 degrees C / 356 degrees F for another 10 minutes. Leave the oven door ajar for five minutes then remove the egg tarts to let them cool down slowly.

Our Favourite Egg Tart Place to Visit

We may not try all the egg tart in Singapore but here are our favourite egg tart’s places that we always visit when we are lazy to bake one. The consider factor of our egg tart is that the tart shell needs to be flaky, and with a runny smooth custard. Of course, the price also plays a big part here.

• Mentioned perviously this 83-year-old Tai Chong Kok started out selling traditional lotus mooncakes, before they decided to venture into egg tarts is our favouite for all time. Easy to hold and box thanks to its diamond shape, the egg tarts ($1.50) have a biscuit-like texture with a buttery base, which complements its slightly runny custard. 
• Knowing it is one of the best in Hong Kong the first time we tried to get an egg tart ($2) from Tai Cheong Bakery we know why. A strong buttery scent exudes from its crust, with a hint of saltiness that balance its sweet and firm pudding centre. What makes this gold is its wonderfully fresh taste.
• During our visit to Joo Chiat we decided to pop over to Chin Mee Chin Confectionery. While the signature is the traditional breakfast set ($4) that consists of a hot cuppa, half-boiled eggs, and their famous kaya toast. We can’t dismiss their old-school egg tart ($1) when we see one.
• Tong Heng is our most familiar remedy to treat a bad bout of blues; cracking into its flaky and crusty shell brings me waves of comfort. Their diamond-shaped egg tart ($2) has a velvety-soft pudding that’s contrasted by the hard but thin pastry. The wobbly custard is also sweeter than most egg tarts.

We can’t wait to try all the egg tarts for you and make a proper review on where to visit for the egg tart, thus in the meantime try our recipe, it does taste like one of these stores made ones.

xoxo, Joe

Egg tarts

Ingredients

• Tart

• 1 Cup / 120G. All-Purpose Flour

• 1/2 Cup / 113G. Unsalted Butter (1 Stick) (Cold)

• 1 Egg Yolk

• 2 Tbsp / 15G. Powdered Sugar

• 2 Tbsp / 30 mL. Cold Water

• 1/2 Tsp. Salt

• Egg Custard

• 2 Tbsp / 30 mL. Hot Water

• 2 Tbsp / 25G. Sugar

• 1 Egg

• 1/4 Cup / 60 mL. Milk

• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Method

• In your mixer, add in the cold butter and powder sugar, incorporate it well until you don’t see the powder sugar in a low skip. Add in the egg and mix it well for 2 minutes at a higher speed before adding in the flour. Continue mixing it until you see the dough is formed. Divide the dough equally and press them into your tart mould. Pierce a few holes in the bottom with a fork to prevent the bottom of the pastry from rising.
• Making the custard of the egg tart is easier than you could think. Dissolve the sugar into 1 cup of hot water, and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Whisk milk, eggs, and vanilla together, and then thoroughly whisk in the sugar water. Strain the custard through a fine-meshed strainer into a large measuring cup or pitcher (something with a pour spout) to get rid of those bubbles, and to produce a smooth egg tart.
• Now you have both your elements, fill the custard filling into the tart base to 80%. Once the tart bases are filled with egg filling, bake immediately in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C/390 degrees F for 15 minutes, followed by 180 degrees C / 356 degrees F for another 10 minutes. Leave the oven door ajar for five minutes then remove the egg tarts to let them cool down slowly.

Whenever we look at a fridge from a Korean and it is always full of pre-made side dishes where you can enjoy them whenever you like. Unlike them we Chinese has fewer cold side dishes as we like enjoying them fresh and hot. However, during the period where we are preparing for Lunar New Year, we like to prepare some food ahead for our busy schedule. We came along with this recipe from The Wok of Life finding it interesting and thus we decided to make our own version, and the outcome is extraordinary.

What Kind of Bamboo Shoot you will need?

Bamboo shoots are young sprouts of the plant of the same name. They are a popular cooking ingredient in many Asian countries due to their tastiness as well as rich health benefits. The crispy, slightly sweet flesh of the sprouts is also great for use in a variety of soups, salads, or stews. Moreover, vegetable side dishes with young shoots of this plant are not uncommon.

We rarely can find fresh bamboo shoots, however, if you do find one it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can pre-cook them yourself in boiling water until tender. Do not eat them raw. They actually contain natural toxins (cooking neutralizes them).

For this recipe, you will need a pack of boiled bamboo shoots that can be found in both the wet and the supermarket.

Seasoning is the Key

While the main lead of this dish is bamboo shoot, but the key to this dish is the seasoning. You will need minced garlic, Sichuan chilli flakes, vegetable oil, sugar, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, light soy sauce, salt and cilantro. Start by mixing the garlic and chilli flakes in a heatproof bowl.

In a pot, heat up the vegetable oil, the time required will depend on your oil and your stove, but a general rule of thumb is when you can see it just start to show smoke or if it bubbles when a wooden chopstick is placed inside, it’s ready. Then pour the hot oil into the mixture of spices. End by mixing all the rest of the ingredients.

We like to seat it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for the bamboo shoot to absorb the seasoning before enjoying them.

How to Store Them?

We have never stored them in the fridge for too long as it is so delicious that we finished them right away we made it. However, you could keep them for up to 2 weeks in a tight container.

While Lunar New Year is coming, you can prepare this 2 weeks ahead and make it as one of your side dishes to the meals you are having during this gathering, You will surely impress your family and friends. Not to mention all you need is 15 minutes of your time.

xoxo, Joe

Spicy Bamboo Shoot Salad

Ingredients

• 7 ounces thin poached spring bamboo shoots

• 1-2 cloves garlic (minced)

• 2 teaspoons Sichuan chili flakes

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce

• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce

• salt (to taste)

• 1/4 cup cilantro (leaves and stems, roughly chopped)

Method

• Tear the bamboo shoots into small strips with your hands.
• Add the garlic and Sichuan chili flakes to a small bowl. Heat the oil and pour over the garlic and flakes—they should sizzle and immediately smell fragrant.
• Stir in the sugar, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, light soy sauce, and Sichuan peppercorn oil if using. Toss with the shredded bamboo. Season with salt to taste, and garnish with cilantro.