Egg Tarts (Dim Sum Style)
In my opinion, this is the croissant of Chinese food! I present to you, dan tat (aka Hong-Kong style egg tarts). The ones you get at any dim sum/yum cha restaurants. I truly love this wholeheartedly. Its buttery yet flaky pastry with custard-like filling. It’s so addictive that I had to refrain myself from finishing all of them in one seating. I had to improvise because of the weather but here’s my dan tat recipe.
Ingredients - [this makes about 20 egg tarts]
- 200 g all purpose flour (1 1/2 cups)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar (plus 1/2 tbsp)
- 200 g unsalted butter (chunks at room temperature)
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 1 cup hot water
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 3/4 tsp vanilla
Steps
1. In a medium size bowl, combine flour, salt and 1/2 tbsp sugar. Add butter and break it with fingers. Make sure the butter is visible in the flour.
2. Add 2 tbsp cold water and bring the dough together. If it’s too dry, just add a little bit more water but not too much. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.
3. On a floured surface, knead the dough and roll it out, making sure it’s away from you. Fold it into half and roll it out again. Repeat this 3 times until the dough is 3 times the original length. Place it back into the bowl, cover and let it chill for 35 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the sugar into the hot cup of water until it’s completely dissolve and let it cool to room temp. Whisk eggs and evaporated milk before whisking in the syrup and vanilla. Strain the mixture to ensure smooth liquid.
5. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C. Roll out the dough again and cute it into circle or into the shape of your tart tins (or cupcake pan). Press the dough with your fingertips until the edges cover the tins. Use a soup spoon to fill each tart shell with the egg mixture until it reaches the edges.
6. Bake the tarts for 15 minutes at 190 Degrees C. Reduce the temperature to 175 degrees C and bake it for another 10-15 minutes until the filling is set. (If tarts start to puff up, open the oven a little to allow them to settle down).
7. Once done, allow the tarts to cool for a while and enjoy!