Flying back home from the States because of the COVID-19 pandemic was a pain in the neck. During the 14-days of quarantine, I've been eating takeaway food at the hotel. The food I ordered already turned cold when it got here, so it wasn't the best hotel experience. I missed all the local food from "Cha Chaan Teng," a type of restaurant that originated in Hong Kong, often called Hong Kong-style cafeĢs in English. I especially missed having fried rice containing "Wok Hei," the unique flavor and tastes from a hot wok on food during stir-frying.
But what I missed the most is one of my favorite childhood foods. You can only find this in the food stalls, but you can never get it from a quarantine hotel or get it delivered. It is a type of waffle that shapes like a honeycomb to me, while others see it as mini eggs. The texture is crispy on the outside and chewy, gooey on the inside. Hong Kong locals called it "Gai Daan Jai," known as Egg Bubble Waffle, because of its unique shape. It always gives me an incredible experience when I bite on it one by one compared to the typical, classic waffles.
I remember getting my first Egg Bubble Waffle in Hong Kong when I was around five or six years old. Since my father was a big eater, we usually went to the back of the main street to grab snacks after breakfast. The whole street was filled with different street food and sweet, savory aromas. Although the food stalls were tiny, the menu was enormous, that there were tons of food and drinks to choose from. I quickly skimmed through the menu and saw this bubble-shaped waffle, and it immediately captured my attention.
"Mom, what's 'Gai Daan Jai'?"
"Umm...it's a type of waffle but better. Do you want to try?"
I immediately ordered the waffle out of curiosity.
I looked at the hawker pouring the batter into the waffle maker with small round iron holes, and flipped the pan efficiently. He seemed familiar with the timing that he cooked without a timer, but he flipped and scraped the waffle out according to his sixth sense. The hawker handed me the waffle. I was amazed by its smell, and it smelled like cake, but better, like what my mother said.
When I was about to bite it, my parents stopped me, "Wait Jaimie, you should pull one piece out and eat one by one."
I pulled one piece out and looked at it in detail. It did look like mini eggs when I saw it individually, and shaped like a honeycomb when I saw it as a whole. I blew on the hot "egg" and put it into my mouth. The waffle was as crunchy and crispy as the fried chicken wings from Wingstop, and the inside was as soft and gooey as marshmallows. My face lit up with joy as I continued to pull the waffle piece by piece into my mouth while my parents laughed at me about how excited I was.
I pulled out a piece of "egg" to my mom and pulled out another piece of "egg" to my dad. We ate while standing up beside the food stall and watching the busy streets. I felt like we were the only ones eating and laughing there. It was surprising how delicious and interesting the waffle was, and it was also hilarious to see my parents' reaction, which influenced me to begin my "Egg Bubble Waffle addiction documentary."
So, how did it all started? According to a food blog by Maggie Wong from CNN, the Egg Bubble Waffle was originated in Hong Kong in the 1950s. The Egg Bubble Waffle has a close relationship with the economic shutdown. Stall owners would try to utilize their supplies and used broken eggs to develop an egg batter mixing sugar, flour, and evaporated milk. The owner then poured the egg batter into a honeycomb iron pan and turned the batter into a waffle. The traditional Hong Kong egg waffles were made over charcoal flames, but most food stalls nowadays use electric stovetops because of safety and financial reasons.
Another question popped into my head, why does Egg Bubble Waffles have such a unique shape? According to Siu Yan Ho's interview from the food blog, a lecturer in food literature and cultural studies in Hong Kong's Lingnan University, says that the store owner from Hong Kong designed this honeycomb-shaped iron waffle maker to make the waffle looks more nutritious, and to create a picture of dozens of mini eggs.
While classic waffles are more common in Europe and North America, where people eat waffles for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and desserts, Hong Kong is the only place that invented popped-up mini eggs or bubble-shaped waffles instead of sticking to the usual large and deep square pockets. Compared to the classic waffles, which people usually top with fruits and drizzle with chocolate syrup, people typically eat Egg Bubble Waffles plain. Since it's unlikely to get the exact Egg Bubble Waffle maker at home and requires special equipment, it isn't easy to recreate. Therefore, the texture, taste, and smell become extremely important to achieve a perfect Egg Bubble Waffle.
My family and I then went back to the main street every single week. Of course, I was the one who wanted to go. Although they sometimes did not feel like getting anything, they would still get Egg Bubble Waffles with me. I would always reserve a few waffles bites for my parents to show my "generosity."
As I grew up, I became a more picky eater, trying Egg Bubble Waffles from numerous stores and realized the textures and tastes were different. Some of them used too many eggs that they didn't smell and tasted like cake, while others were too soggy that they were not crispy enough. At this point, I felt like I have become a professional Egg Bubble Waffle critic.
To show off my professionalism, I remember when my parents got me a mini Egg Bubble Waffle maker, so I got to make my own waffle for the first time. This was when I knew the exact ingredients to make an Egg Bubble Waffle. The main ingredients are flour, custard powder, tapioca starch, eggs, and evaporated milk. Tapioca starch is the essential ingredient to make the Egg Bubble Waffle chewy, and it is also the same ingredient people use to make boba pearls.
I mixed all the ingredients and poured the batter into the mold. I waited for a few minutes before I flipped the pan to the other side. It was a challenge because if you flip it too slowly, the batter will spill from the edge of the pan.
After five to ten minutes of painful, long-suffering waiting, I could finally open the mold and scrape the waffle out. Unfortunately, the waffle was stuck to the pan, and no matter how hard I tried scraping it off, the waffle seemed unhappy to get out of the warm, comfy pan. The waffle was broken into smaller pieces instead of coming out as a complete honeycomb shape. And then, another five minutes of waiting for the waffle to cool down so it could develop its crunchiness.
My first homemade Egg Bubble Waffle was crunchy like crackers but not airy and gooey at all. Although I was slightly disappointed, it was such an enjoyable experience to make the waffle from scratch. According to a retired waffle hawker from the food blog, he says heating the waffle maker is essential to get the waffle out. If not, the waffle will stick to the pan. Also, since washing the utensils was a painful experience, I decided to continue exploring Egg Bubble Waffles in Hong Kong.
As the city develops, I was able to try different flavors of Egg Bubble Waffles, such as chocolate chips, banana, and even avocado flavors. There were also waffles topped with ice cream. I can now get waffles from chain stores that specialize in Egg Bubble Waffles. I personally love the avocado and banana ones because it is so creative, but the newly developed flavors cover the original crispy texture and cake flavor. Even though I want to try other flavors, I always go back to get the original, authentic Egg Bubble Waffles to enjoy the ultimate experience.
Ever since I left Hong Kong to study overseas, I always missed getting Egg Bubble Waffles with my family after breakfast. I tried looking for stores in Chinatown that sell Egg Bubble Waffles and explored stores in the States. I remember my host family and I drove an hour to Seattle just to try the Egg Bubble Waffles. Although the waffles there were soggy like soft pancakes and tasted nothing like those in Hong Kong, they still looked beautiful on the outside. They somehow cured my homesickness, reminded me of my time with my parents, and something special about my hometown.
Whenever I flew back home during the summer, I always got Egg Bubble Waffles from the food stalls. However, since my father was diagnosed with cancer in 2019, I gradually stopped grabbing waffles with my family. As my father was at the hospital, he could not drive and bring us to our usual restaurant anymore. I encouraged my father to get well soon to get waffles with me again during the summer before returning to the States.
Worrying about my father while being alone in the States was painful. I was fortunate to have a family friend, who asked me what kind of food I craved the most so she could bring me there. I immediately thought of Egg Bubble Waffles. "Well...the Egg Bubble Waffles here aren't good. Anything else you want to eat?" my family friend said. And shortly after I returned to America, I received a call from my mother, "Your father passed away."
After having a difficult discussion with my family, I decided to stay in the States and wait until summer to fly back home. I would sometimes take a 30-minute bus ride from home to the exact street where I had my first Egg Bubble Waffle and ordered a waffle to experience the good old times I had with my mom and dad. My mother and I visited the same food stall once after my dad passed away. Although it didn't feel the same anymore, having Egg Bubble Waffles together meant so much to me. It's like the last puzzle piece.
A perfect waffle is not something you can get from iHop. A perfect Egg Bubble Waffle is not something that can be made easily, it's not a daily life essential, but it's something that cures my homesickness and makes my life complete.