hk style french toast (西多士)

By request of a lovely friend, I spent a good while delving into the world of French toast, more specifically Hong Kong style French toast.They're usually served in Chinese style diners in hk, called 茶餐廳(Cha chaan teng). The literal meaning of the words is "tea restaurant." They usually serve foods that are a fusion of Chinese and Western cuisine. Cha chaan tengs are a wonderful place to have an inexpensive meal as the portions are large and the price small. Anywaay, back to the toast.

They're technically just sliced bread soaked in an egg mixture and fried in oil or butter, though in this recipe, I'm shallow-frying them for the sake of healthiness. The toast can also be filled with an array of fillings. In this post, I'll show you how to make both filled and unfilled versions.

French Toast (HK style)

We'll need:

-for the egg mixture-
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk or cream
1 1/2 tsp caster sugar
pinch of salt
1-2tbls butter for frying 

6 slices of bread (2 per serving)

-for the filling-
peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk
or
cream cheese and jam
or... anything you please, really.

Utensils:
a shallow bowl (wide enough to fit a piece of sliced bread)
whisk
measuring spoons/cups
frying pan
sturdy spatula for flipping the toast

~In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, and salt. Set aside.

~Cut off the crust on the bread slices. (Optional)

~Spread your choice of filling(s) on each slice.

(cream cheese and strawberry jam)









(peanut butter and condensed milk. This is the traditional filling)







~Place two slices together and soak in the egg mixture (about 3secs per side).

~Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the soaked bread until golden brown (2~3mins per side).

For the unfilled version, just soak the bread slices in the egg mixture and fry in the butter.

~Serve with a pat of butter and a drizzle of honey.

Hopefully this was of use to you... bocchan. I will gladly offer you further assistance if you require it.