Can you identify?
MooCow
I've recently tried this snack-vendor snack, where they pour this batter
into this two-sided griddle, that has little holes.
They pour the batter in, close the griddle, and griddle this over a
propane flame for a while, then flip it over and heat the other side.
It comes out as little egg balls / puffs.
Can anyone identify what it is, and does anyone know a recipe for this?
Thank you in advance!
--
MooCow
Her Serene Highness
"MooCow" <xmoo...@vceen.bc.ca> wrote in message
news:bkjgmq$so1$1...@luna.vcn.bc.ca...
I LOVE those! They're tiny cakes. Delicious.
elby
you can have Aebelskivers. More information would help identify these if
they are Asian.
elby
> Anymore info? Like what country they represent?
>
> -=sw
>
Jim Jones
Without a little more information on flavor profile, it's hard to know
exavtly what you are talking about. If there is a coconut flavor to
them, they may be what is known in Thai as khanom krok. The
description fits if they are coconut flavored, kind of soft and maybe
even a little sweet-milky inside.
These can be found all over Bangkok from street vendors and in food
courts. Delicious!
However, all over Asia, there are street snacks that are made from
pouring batter into heated molds. Almost every country has its
version.
Jim
MooCow
> Make the cakes about 2 inches ( 5 cm) in diameter and move to Denmark and
> you can have Aebelskivers. More information would help identify these if
> they are Asian.
> elby
They're cakes or little puffs - they come out around 2 - 5 cm in diameter
One of these griddles makes about 20-30 of these little puffs at the same
time. They're fairly small. I know that in Hong Kong,t hey are popular
(though I've never been there, I only know by reputation.)
I live in Vancouver BC (Canada), and some Chinese vendors have them.
Anyone have a recipe for these things? I'm trying to make them... *grin*
--
MooCow
Betty Lee
+ elby <el...@nowhere.com> wrote:
+ > Make the cakes about 2 inches ( 5 cm) in diameter and move to Denmark and
+ > you can have Aebelskivers. More information would help identify these if
+ > they are Asian.
+
+ They're cakes or little puffs
"Cakes" and "little puffs" aren't the same thing. When you say "little
puffs", I imagine something like a doughnut -- spherical and airy.
When you say "cakes", I imagine something denser with less grease,
and probably more of a cylinder than a sphere.
Peter Dy
"Betty Lee" <bett...@Stanford.EDU> wrote in message
news:bkoob1$3sk$1...@news.Stanford.EDU...
Well, the Dutch call their little pancakes "poffertjes", or "little puffs".
:)
Peter
MooCow
> "Cakes" and "little puffs" aren't the same thing. When you say "little
> puffs", I imagine something like a doughnut -- spherical and airy.
> When you say "cakes", I imagine something denser with less grease,
> and probably more of a cylinder than a sphere.
That's the problem - some vendors pour so little batter that it's actually
just a 'shell' - hence, something hollow inside, spherical and airy.
However - when I say - 'cakelike' - that's more like it has texture and
flour inside the sphere. It's STILL made on the same griddle - same mould
- but more cake-like little balls.
Therefore, I don't know whether it SHOULD be 'hollow' or 'cakelike'.
--
MooCow
Tippi
> into this two-sided griddle, that has little holes.
> It comes out as little egg balls / puffs.
we call them "little eggs" in Cantonese! it is a street food found all
over Hong Kong, and I see them now in Toronto too. I don't have a
recipe, they are probably closely guarded trade secrets, but it's just
an egg batter of some sorts. I don't know what you plan to do with the
recipe unless you have the actual griddle!
MooCow
> we call them "little eggs" in Cantonese! it is a street food found all
> over Hong Kong, and I see them now in Toronto too. I don't have a
> recipe, they are probably closely guarded trade secrets, but it's just
> an egg batter of some sorts. I don't know what you plan to do with the
> recipe unless you have the actual griddle!
Actually, I've got a Chinese friend who will be going to Hong Kong
soon. And she claims she'll find me a griddle "or die
trying" (considering I've pestered her for all the good places to have
these treats)
hence - the reason why I'm recipe-digging, and hoping someone has a
recipe. (I didn't know it was 'closely guarded trade secret') - I wanted
to see if I could do the same way at home, considering I'll be getting the
grill in about 2 weeks.
--
MooCow
Betty Lee
+ MooCow <xmoo...@vceen.bc.ca> wrote
+ > I've recently tried this snack-vendor snack, where they pour this batter
+ > into this two-sided griddle, that has little holes.
+
+ > It comes out as little egg balls / puffs.
+
+ we call them "little eggs" in Cantonese! it is a street food found all
+ over Hong Kong, and I see them now in Toronto too. I don't have a
+ recipe, they are probably closely guarded trade secrets, but it's just
+ an egg batter of some sorts. I don't know what you plan to do with the
+ recipe unless you have the actual griddle!
Ah, neat! Thanks! I've been dying of curiosity ever since the original
post appeared. I don't think I've ever even seen such things before,
and they sure sound good. If "the secret is in the swift handling and
the hot pan", though, I'm not sure making these things would work too
well at home. I wonder if anyone sells them here in the San Jose area.
http://www.pipeline.com/~rosskat/wizzab.html
+ From Anna Au:
+
+ Vendors make them in a large waffle pan like contraption with egg sized
+ holes inside. When the egg puffs come out they are mostly attached to
+ one another. This is a Hong Kong street food, and we call them "little
+ eggs". The best ones are crispy outside and airy inside with an almost
+ pudding like batter consistency in the center. The ingredients are simple,
+ but I believe the secret is in the swift handling and the hot pan. Here
+ is the recipe from my sister's Chinese cookbook:
+
+ Hong Kong "Little Eggs"
+ 6 eggs
+ 6 oz. sugar
+ 6 oz water
+ 6 oz white flour
+ 1/2 oz corn starch
+ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
+
+ Cream eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add water. Sift dry ingredients into
+ egg mixture. Grease mold and heat until *very hot* before swiftly pouring
+ in batter, filling each depression about 60% full. Close mold tightly and
+ immediately invert pan in different directions to ensure even coverage
+ of batter on all sides. Then place pan over low heat for about 3 minutes
+ on each side.
Bob Myers
"Tippi" <aa...@torfree.net> wrote in message
news:527881de.03092...@posting.google.com...
> we call them "little eggs" in Cantonese! it is a street food found all
> over Hong Kong, and I see them now in Toronto too. I don't have a
> recipe, they are probably closely guarded trade secrets, but it's just
> an egg batter of some sorts. I don't know what you plan to do with the
> recipe unless you have the actual griddle!
OK, now I'm curious - I'm going to be in Taipei in three
weeks, and would like to know how to ask for either the
dish itself or the griddle! I've seen these things too, but
since my Cantonese vocabulary is pretty pitiful, have never
been able to find them except by looking until I happened to
stumble across a vendor selling them on the street.
Bob M.
Tippi
> recipe. (I didn't know it was 'closely guarded trade secret')
well I'm just guessing, I've never seen it in any cookbooks. But try a
waffle recipe with a bit more egg, that should be close enough. Good
luck to your friend for trying!
Betty Lee
+ OK, now I'm curious - I'm going to be in Taipei in three
+ weeks, and would like to know how to ask for either the
+ dish itself or the griddle! I've seen these things too, but
+ since my Cantonese vocabulary is pretty pitiful, have never
+ been able to find them except by looking until I happened to
+ stumble across a vendor selling them on the street.
I'm not sure if you'd get very far trying to speak Cantonese in Taiwan,
but I searched the web, and it seems to be called "gai dan jai".
Her Serene Highness
Manhattan's Chinatown (NYC has 3).
amalia
MooCow, I've only had the Thai version, but it sounds like the pan is the
same. It's quite a heavy instrument, if your friend is unable to bring one
home for you, you can take elby's suggestion and get an Aebelskivers pan
(for the Danish treat) from a specialty store. My mother bought hers in
Solvang, CA many years ago, and now that we've had the Thai coconut-flavored
cakes, we've thought about making them at a home. As far as I can tell, it's
the same pan.
I'll look for the Chinese version, I wonder if I'd find them at the San
Francisco Chinatown night market? I haven't yet made it there...
-Amalia
Tippi
> Actually, I've got a Chinese friend who will be going to Hong Kong
> soon.
DRUMROLL - - - - - - - - - - I found recipes! and where to buy the
griddle!!
according to http://www.joycekitchen.com/snack/chinese-recipe/snack-sw2.htm
the griddle can be found on shops on Shanghai Street in the Mongkok
area, at about CDN $25. (The street is quite long, look for those
selling kitchen utensils.) The above link and the next contain
pictures too (the second is better).
The recipe from this site:
Flour ........... 5 oz
Baking powder.... 1 1/4 tsp (it says 5/4 tsp)
Cornstarch....... 1 oz
Custard power ... 1 tbsp
Sugar ........... 5 oz
Water ........... 5 oz
Eggs ............ 2
Evaporated milk.. 2 tbsp
Oil ............. 2 tbsp
Sift together the first 4 ingredients; beat the eggs and sugar, add
milk and water. Stir dry ingredients in, add oil last.
Heat both sides of griddle, add batter to about 80% full. Close
griddle and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes per side. Remove with
fork and serve immediately.
2 recipes from http://rthk27.rthk.org.hk:62500/mdc/cityuen/mdc05cuen/food3.htm
and http://home.netvigator.com/~lsf3951/recipe/dessert/d_74.htm , the
same ingredients but slightly different quantities
Flour ........... 100 g ... 4 oz
Baking powder.... 1 tsp ... 1 tsp
Cornstarch....... 25 g ... 1 oz
Sugar ........... 100 g ... 4 oz
Water ........... 125 ml .. 4 oz
Eggs ............ 2 ....... 2
Evaporated milk.. 60 ml ... 2 oz
The same instruction as above except the oil is added by brushing onto
the griddle before each batch.
And on the latter site it is said that new griddles tend to stick for
the first 2 or 3 batches after which it should become seasoned.
Here is a picture of a clay model of a "little egg"/pancake griddle
cart: http://hk.geocities.com/ncwinnie/eggcakestoretable.JPG
What you can find on the web these days!
Jim Jones
No, Cantonese won't get you anywhere. The business language of Taiwan
is Mandarin. The old common language is a Min dialect (related to
dialects from the Fujian area, I believe). Most Taiwanese can at
least understand the local Min dialect, though many of them cannot
speak it.
For dealing with a street vendor, I believe you would be just fine
using Mandarin. Unfortunately, I don't know how to call the little
cakes/puffs in Mandarin.
The food is really great in Taiwan. I don't know if you've ever been
there before, so I may be telling you something you already know, but
I have a few restaurant recommendations. You may know much more about
Taiwan than I do...if so I apologize.
(1) Blue Museum (886-2-2704-6758): This restaurant serves great food
(though perhaps a _bit_ foreigner-friendly) in an unusually attractive
environment. Prices are reasonable (though you shouldn't go to Taipei
expecting Southeast Asia-style prices). Try the da chang (pig
intestines), stuffed with scallions and dry fried with garlic and
fermented beans. Absolutely to die for. They also have great dan-dan
mien in the dry Taiwanese style. (If you've ever eaten dan-dan mien
in HK, don't expect the same thing. They are flavoured similarly, but
completely different in texture/sauce consistency.)
(2) Don't know the name, but there is an awesome place that can be
found the following way: Stand in front of the Westin Taipei.
Pretend you are walking out of the front door and turning right. Walk
two or three (or maayybbee four) blocks and, on your right, you will
see an open-fronted restaurant with a display of dishes on the
streetfront. Language is not an issue. Just point to what you want,
sit down, and order a beer from one of the Sapporo beer girls. This
place has amazing soft shell crabs -- cleanly fried in small pieces
with a szechuan pepper dip.
There are tons of great hole-in-the-wall noodle/dumpling shops, but I
would only get you hopelessly lost if I tried to direct you to one of
those.
Good luck and enjoy,
Jim