Hong Kong Egg Tart Recipe From 'Woks of Life'

Every week, we’re spotlighting a different food blogger who’s shaking up the blogosphere with tempting recipes and knockout photography. Below, Sarah Leung of The Woks of Life explains the story behind the Hong Kong egg tart, one of Asia’s most beloved (and well-traveled) desserts.

Photo: Sarah Leung

Hong Kong-style egg tarts are probably my favorite pastry. Period. And the best part is… they can be made at home.

Chinese egg tarts can be found in Hong Kong, Macau, and other parts of China. The Hong Kong and Macau versions differ slightly. Macau’s version was brought over by Portuguese colonizers, and they have more of a scorched, caramelized exterior. The Portuguese egg tart eventually made its way to Hong Kong, where it was influenced by British custard tarts, which are a bit more glassy and smooth.

Ah, the sweet, sweet taste of colonial expansion.

You can buy them at Chinese bakeries, where you might be lucky enough to get a warm one. But recently, we got them at a restaurant that made them to order, which was a first for us. Even at dim sum restaurants, they’re never that fresh. They were hot out of the oven, and it was UH-mazing. Because having them right out of the oven is a WHOLE other ball of wax — a completely different experience from the normal lukewarm version.

But we don’t all have dim sum restaurants that make these within reasonable traveling distance, so it’s time to learn to make them from scratch like the best of ‘em.

Hong Kong Egg Tarts
Makes 20-24 tarts

200 grams all purpose flour (1 ½ cups)
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
200 grams unsalted butter, room temperature but not softened (14 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons cold water
Scant 1 cup hot water
3 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup evaporated milk, at room temperature
¾ teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Add the butter and break it up roughly with your fingers, making sure to keep visible little chunks of butter in the dough. Add 2 tablespoons of cold water and bring the dough together. Add a tiny bit more water if necessary, but not too much. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly-floured board, knead gently, and form into a neat rectangle. Roll the dough away from you (not back and forth), forming a 20-by-50 centimeter rectangle (about 8-by-20 inches). Try to keep the edges even, and don’t overwork the butter streaks. Flecks of butter should still be visible in the dough.

Fold the top third of the dough down to the center, then the bottom third up and over that. Give the dough a quarter turn (left or right) and roll out again to three times the length. Fold the same way as before, cover, and chill for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, make the filling. Dissolve ½ cup sugar into the cup of hot water, and allow to cool to room temperature. Whisk eggs and evaporated milk together and then thoroughly whisk in the sugar water and vanilla. Strain through a very fine mesh strainer — this step is extremely important to getting a smooth, glassy egg tart.

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C and position a rack in the lower third of your oven. Roll out the dough and cut circles to fit your tins (you can also use a greased shallow muffin pan). Press the dough into the tins and use a ladle to fill each tart shell until just reaching the edges of the outside crust. Once filled, immediately (but very carefully) transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Reduce the temperature to 350°F/180° C and bake another 10-12 minutes, until filling is just set (if a toothpick can stand up in it, it’s done). If you see the shells start to puff up a bit, crack open the oven a little, and they should settle back down.

You can let the tarts cool for a couple minutes and enjoy them while they’re still hot.

More Asian-inspired dishes:

Korean-Style Coca-Cola Short Ribs Recipe From ‘Bakers Royale’

You Need Scallion Pancakes in Your Life

Nom Nom Paleo’s Orange Sriracha Chicken Recipe

Have you ever tried Hong Kong egg tarts? Tell us below!