Hong Kong Style French Toast
Servings 1 people
Ingredients
- 2 slices soft white bread (preferably 2 days old)
- 2 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 thin slice unsalted butter
- Golden syrup or pancake syrup
Instructions
- Place white bread slices on a cutting board. Spread the peanut butter on 1 side of a slice of bread. Stack the other toast on top. Trim off the brown crusts from all sides with a serrated knife. Set aside.
- For the egg, separate the yolk and white. For the egg white, place in a clean medium bowl (make sure no water or oil). Whisk with a fork until foamy with tiny bubbles and double in volume. It doesn’t have to reach soft peak. Then, add the yolk and whisk together until just blended. Transfer to a rim plate.
- In a small heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat, heat up the oil.
- Prepare a plate with a paper towel.
- Soak the prepared bread into the egg mixture, starting with the sides, then the flat sides. Let the mixture soak in for a minute.
- To test if the oil is hot enough, add one egg drop into the oil. If it’s bubbling, it’s ready. Add the French toast into the oil carefully. Turn the heat down to medium. Using a large spoon, baste (spoon) the top and the sides with hot oil. Once the bottom is golden brown, carefully flip the French Toast and cook until golden brown as well. Transfer the French toast to the prepared plate for 10 seconds.
- Then, place the French toast on a serving plate. Top with butter and syrup. Serve hot.
Notes
- For the bread, I got mine from Paris Baguette (a Korean bakery). It’s light and soft Asian style bread. It’s best to use Asian white bread if you can.
- I used a little more peanut butter in this recipe than normal cafe would. Use a bit less if you prefer.
- Beating the egg white gives a fluffy texture to the French toast.
- I used a 8-inch skillet. If you're using a bigger skillet, use more oil. There should be enough oil to reach ¼-inch in depth.
- For the syrup, I used Lyle’s Golden Syrup. That’s what it’s used in Hong Kong when I was growing up. Nowadays, some places use sweetened condensed milk or some other syrup. But Lyle’s has a light caramel taste, which is better in my opinion. I got the syrup from Amazon. If you can’t find it, use pancake syrup, like Pearl Milling Company.
- This toast is enough for 2 as an afternoon tea. But for breakfast, it's a good for 1.