French Toast (Hong Kong)

This is a classic breakfast found in any local cha chaan teng/HK street cafes and is typically made with bread layered with peanut butter, coated with egg and milk, deep-fried until golden brown, served with butter on top along with condensed milk, honey or maple syrup. It's so easy to make and goes perfectly well with your breakfast tea or coffee

It is a thick Asian milk or egg bread and is layered with peanut butter or a spread of your choice. The crust of the bread is cut off to create the perfect square and then it is coated with egg and shallow fried in oil. When it is served, it comes with butter on top with maple syrup, honey or condensed milk.

I have always been a fan of French toast. Whether it uses croissants as the base or is made in the traditional way and topped with sweets like strawberries and chocolate, there's really no type of French toast that is off-limits for me. With the type of love I have for French toast, it's easy to understand the amount of excitement I was overcome with when I stumbled upon a recipe for a version that I'd never heard of before: Hong Kong-style French toast. And because it intrigued me so much, I just knew I had to take a shot at making it. So I grabbed all the ingredients, jumped in the kitchen, and got to work.

French toast is probably my second favourite thing next to crêpes. I love how easy it comes together and it only requires very few ingredients if you don't get too fancy. It's delicious, filling and so good with a sweetener over top. I tend to have it for breakfast if I want to keep things simple and if I don't feel like whipping out a mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons to make crêpes, pancakes or waffles.

6 pieces milk bread or egg bread (square shaped)
4 Tbsp. peanut butter, heaping
2 eggs
vegetable oil

Toppings:
butter
condensed milk
pure honey
maple syrup

With three pieces of bread, spread a thin layer of peanut butter on 2 of the three pieces. Sandwich them together. Repeat for the other sandwich.

Slice off the crusts of your sandwiches with a very sharp knife to create a square.

In a shallow bowl, whisk 2 eggs.

In a deep pan, fill it with a shallow layer of cooking oil (avocado or vegetable). Bring it to low medium heat (level 4 out of 10). Do not bring it to medium or the toast will burn.

Lightly coat one sandwich in egg.

Then carefully lower that sandwich into the hot oil. Fry on all sides until golden brown (15 seconds on the sides and 30 seconds on the larger surface area).

Repeat for the above step and this step for the second sandwich.

Enjoy hot with butter and sweetener of your choice.