Hong Kong shares a rich colonial past which has a huge influence on its cuisine. You’d find many dishes that have been adapted from Western ideas with local preferences & tastes. One of these dishes is Hong Kong Style French Toast. The British introduced the concept of French Toast to Hong Kong, and people then started to adapt the recipe with local ingredients & tastes. From there, you can find it on every menu at Cha Chaan Tengs, i.e. traditional Hong Kong-style local cafes. It’s especially popular during afternoon tea times to go with a cup of strongly brewed Hong Kong-style Milk Tea.
Personally, I have plenty of fond memories of visiting this hidden local stall near my school called Sei Yik and getting their Hong Kong Style French Toast after school. There wouldn’t be a single Hong Konger who doesn’t recognise & adore this dish – it’s that iconic.
What Is Hong Kong Style French Toast (西多士)
So what’s the difference between regular French Toast and Hong Kong-style French Toast? For starters, Hong Kong-style French Toast is typically stuffed with peanut butter as a filling. It uses thick white bread or Asian milk bread slapped together like a sandwich. The ‘sandwich’ is then coated with egg batter and deep/shallow-fried till crispy & golden brown in colour. One can immediately recognise it in the shape of a giant golden block. It’s incredibly crispy on the outside but fluffy on the inside.
Typically, it’s served with a pat of butter on top and a drizzle of condensed milk and/or maple syrup. There are other varieties as well, such as salted egg yolk & custard-filled French Toast, etc.
More recipes for traditional Hong Kong-style dishes:
Why You’ll Love This HK Style French Toast Recipe
Call me biased but I think Hong Kong Style French Toast has a bit more of an oomph. It’s rich and indulging with the choice of filling & topping, and it’s got extra eggy flavours that are accentuated through the frying process. Western french toasts tend to have a more sophisticated touch whereas the ones in Hong Kong are more rustic and less refined, which is its own unique charm. There are no fancy ingredients involved and the recipe is easy to make and can be ready in less than 10 minutes. Also, you don’t need to follow measurements to a tee and can just go with your feel. There is plenty of room for your own customisation as well.
How to Make Hong Kong Style French Toast at Home
Ingredients You Need
- Thick White/Milk Bread* – at least a day old or slightly stale bread
- Peanut Butter – chunky or smooth
- Eggs
- Milk – ideally full-fat milk*
- Oil for frying – any neutral-flavoured oil such as peanut oil, vegetable oil, or sunflower seed oil
- Butter, Condensed Milk, and/or Maple or Golden Syrup – for serving
*read more in the recipe notes section below
Recipe Notes
- If you are slicing the bread yourself, cut them to around 1 inch thick. You can also just use regular ready-sliced bread, which can be stacked together to make up for the thickness.
- Bread that is at least a day old is best for making french toasts. When the bread is slightly stale, it’s a little sturdier to soak up the eggs & milk and prevents the french toast from getting too soggy.
- Spread the peanut butter before trimming the bread in order to get the perfect square.
- Don’t fancy peanut butter? You can simply substitute it with any other spread you like!
- Full-fat milk is preferred when making french toast as the fat content in the milk helps to yield a creamy mouthfeel on the inside. Skimmed milk tends to stay more liquid-y, hence more likely to make the bread soggier.
- This may be quite obvious but it’s better to use a shallow bowl to whisk the eggs & milk so that it’s easier to soak the bread before frying.
- To prevent the french toast from getting soggy, only soak the bread for about 15-20 seconds on each side.
- You can deep-fry or shallow-fry the french toast. This recipe shows the latter.
- Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding the french toast but keep the temperature at a medium-low to prevent it from burning too quickly. You can test whether the oil is hot enough by inserting a wooden chopstick into the oil. The oil is ready when bubbles form around the chopstick.
- A pair of tongs is recommended to help you flip & hold the french toast when cooking it in hot oil!
Looking for more French toast recipes? Check these out too:
Hong Kong Style French Toast
Equipment
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 pair of Tongs
Ingredients
- 4 slices White Bread (or 2 slices of Thick White Bread)
- Peanut Butter
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Milk
- Vegetable Oil / Peanut Oil / Sunflower Seed Oil for frying
For serving
- Butter
- Condensed Milk
- Maple/Golden Syrup
Instructions
- Using 4 regular sliced bread: Spread peanut butter onto 3 slices of bread and stack them up. Top with the final slice that doesn't have peanut butter on it.Using 2 slices of thick bread: Spread peanut butter onto both slices of bread and put them together like a sandwich.4 slices White Bread, Peanut Butter
- Trim the bread to remove the edges.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk eggs with milk until combined.2 Eggs, 2 tbsp Milk
- Heat the pan over medium heat and fill it with a shallow layer of oil.Vegetable Oil / Peanut Oil / Sunflower Seed Oil
- Once the oil is hot enough (bubbles should form if you insert a wooden chopstick to test the temperature), lower the heat to medium-low.
- Carefully add the bread Fry the bread until golden on each side.
- Serve hot with a pat of butter on top and drizzle with condensed milk and/or syrup.Butter, Condensed Milk, Maple/Golden Syrup
Notes
- If you are slicing the bread yourself, cut them to around 1 inch thick. You can also just use regular ready-sliced bread, which can be stacked together to make up for the thickness.
- Bread that is at least a day old is best for making french toasts. When the bread is slightly stale, it’s a little sturdier to soak up the eggs & milk and prevents the french toast from getting too soggy.
- Full-fat milk is preferred when making french toast as the fat content in the milk helps to yield a creamy mouthfeel on the inside. Skimmed milk tends to stay more liquid-y, hence more likely to make the bread soggier.
- Spread the peanut butter before trimming the bread in order to get the perfect square.
- Don’t fancy peanut butter? You can simply substitute it with any other spread you like!
- To prevent the french toast from getting soggy, only soak the bread for about 15-20 seconds on each side.
- Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding the french toast but keep the temperature at a medium-low to prevent it from burning too quickly.
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