Egg Tarts

Today, I am taking a one day break from baking Chinese New Year goodies to bake these delicious tarts. Actually, these tarts are my hubby's favourite and I would like to give him a surprise when he comes home from his business trip.  I hope that he will be delighted to see them.  Furthermore, I baked enough egg tarts for him to bring to the office the next day.  For the dough, I used my pineapple tart dough recipe instead of my Hongkong Style Egg Tarts recipe and the filling is simple to prepare.

Dough Ingredients (yields 24 pieces):
250 g soft butter
2 egg yolks
about 400 g plain flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
pinch of salt
1/4 cup water

Filling Ingredients:
200 g sugar
410 ml water
6 eggs
150 ml evaporated milk

Method:
In a saucepan, cook sugar and water over medium heat.  Leave to simmer without stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool down completely.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, egg yolks and water together.  Then, add in vanilla essence, salt and flour.  Continue kneading until a pliable dough is formed.  Line tart moulds with dough as shown below.

Preheat oven (do not use the fan) to a temperature of 200° C.  In a large bowl, add sugar water, evaporated milk and eggs.  Whisk lightly and strain mixture into a jug.

Pour filling into mould until 3/4 full and bake in hot oven for about 20 minutes.  To check whether the egg custard is cooked or set, poke with a toothpick.  The toothpick should stand on its own.  If not, return to oven and bake for another 5 minutes.

Leave to cool down completely before serving.

Happy Baking!

Apam Balik or Ban Chien Kuih (thin version)

Due to the many requests which I received from my blog readers, I am posting the recipe for the thin version of Ban Chien Kuih or Apam Balik/Apam Pulau Pinang.

Batter Ingredients (yields about 15 - 20 pcs):

100 g rice flour

50 g plain flour

15 g cornflour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1/2 tsp salt

100 ml thick coconut milk

100 ml water

3 "M" size eggs

80 g sugar

Filling Ingredients:
350 g roasted peanuts, to be coarsely chopped
70 g sugar
30 g soft butter

Method:
Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl and leave aside.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved.  Sift all dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl.  Add thick coconut milk and water.  Mix thoroughly until no lumps can be seen.  Then, add egg mixture and mix well.

Heat a small pan (non-stick) over medium heat.  Add a small soup laddle of batter to pan - just enough to cover the base of the pan.  Put on the lid and cook until the sides are crispy and brown in colour.

Remove lid and sprinkle peanuts filling.  Fold into half and remove from pan to a wire rack. Repeat procedure until the batter is used up.

Serve immediately!

Bon Appetit!

Ban Chien Kuih (Peanut Pancakes)

This is one my favourite pancakes during my childhood days!  It has several names but the only ones I know are Ban Chien Kuih, Man Chien Kuih and Peanut Pancakes.

Batter Ingredients (yields 12 pancakes):
3 eggs
80 g sugar
330 g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (Natron)
1 tsp dry yeast
425 ml water

Filling Ingredients:
350 g roasted peanuts, to be coarsely chopped
70 g sugar
30 g soft butter

Note:  One can use canned sweet corn kernels or chocolate chips as filling variations.

Method:
In a large bowl, mix all batter ingredients together until well combined.  Leave aside for at least 30 minutes.

As for the filling, mix chopped peanuts, butter and sugar together in a bowl.  Leave aside.

Heat a non-stick pan (20 cm in diameter) over medium heat.  Brush with a little oil.  Pour a ladle of batter into pan and swirl batter also up the sides of pan to form a round pancake. Cover pan and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes or until the sides of pancake turn light brown.

Remove lid.  Sprinkle filling evenly on top and fold pancake into two.  Remove to a plate. Repeat procedure until all ingredients are used up.

Serve either warm or cold.

Bon Appetit!

Hongkong Style Egg Tarts

These Egg Tarts were first introduced in Hongkong and are popular in most Asian countries.  They can be found in bakeries and dim sum restaurants.  These are my favourite and they taste really good!

Crust Ingredients (yields about 24 tarts):
125 g soft butter
60 g castor sugar
1 egg, to be lightly beaten
230 g plain flour, to be sieved

Filling Ingredients:
80 g castor sugar
150 ml hot or warm water
100 ml evaporated milk
2 eggs, to be lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla essence (liquid)

Method:
Whisk butter and sugar together until creamy.  Add in beaten egg and mix well on low speed.  Then, add in sieved flour and knead into a pliable dough.

Roll out dough to a thickness of 0.5 cm thickness.  By using a tart tin, cut out dough.  Place dough in tart tin and lightly press dough from centre outwards to line the whole tart tin.  Repeat until all cake tins are lined with dough.

Dissolve sugar in hot or warm water and leave aside to cool down.  In a small bowl, whisk egg and evaporated milk together until well combined.  Add in the sugar/water mixture and vanilla essence. Mix thoroughly.  Pour mixture through a sieve into a small jug.

Arrange the tart tins on a baking tray and pour custard filling into each of them.  Place baking tray on the lowest rack in a preheated oven at 200° C (conventional - without fan).  Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.

It is important to stay by the oven and keep an eye on the tarts.  When the custard filling starts to get puffed up, pull the oven door open and leave the door about 6 cm ajar.

Reduce oven heat to 180° C and bake further for another 10 minutes or until the custard is set. Check by inserting a thin toothpick into the custard.  If it comes out clean or able to stand on its own, the egg tarts are ready. If not, bake further for another 5 minutes.

Once ready, leave to cool.  Remove egg tarts from their tins and place each tart in a baking case before serving.

Happy Baking!