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The Hong Kong style egg waffle is one of the most beloved street foods that Hong Kong has to offer. It’s a simple but delicious formula: a sweet waffle batter poured into a mold of bubble-shaped cells, sandwiched in the waffle maker, then served curled up into a cone shape. They are ready to eat as one giant piece, or to be broken apart for snacking.

So Many Names For The Egg Waffle!

There are many names for the egg waffle. You might hear them called a bubble waffle, egg puff, eggette, pancake balls, pancake waffles, egglet, puffle, or dai gaan jai (little chicken egg).

The Different Flavours of Egg Waffle

The texture is one of the best things about the Hong Kong egg waffle. Crispy on the outside, and fluffy and almost hollow on the inside. They taste like a light cake, but with a distinct egg flavour.

The classic egg waffle is undoubtably a favourite. However, in the quest to keep the formula new and fresh, there are so many different flavours and combos to be discovered.

Sweet Options

The first way to introduce some flavours into the eggette is with other ingredients in the batter. Chocolate is a popular option, as well as coffee, banana, cinnamon, or matcha.

But look a little further, and things start to get much more creative. Ovaltine with caramel sauce is perfect for those with a sweet tooth, just like the Taiwanese pineapple cake flavour, marshmallow, and passion fruit panna cotta.

Savoury Egg Waffles

Moving into the realm of savoury, noted egg waffle shop Modos produced the Chinese sausage and salted egg, whilst others have experimented with beef satay and even Korean salted seaweed and corn. You might also run into purple sweet potato, or cheese-filled egg puffs that explode in your mouth. It just goes to show that the sky is the limit for experimenting with the egg waffle!

Other Delicious Round Snacks From Around The World

The Hong Kong egg waffle has some similar cousins all around the world, using the same scalloped hotplate method of cooking. Some are sweet, and some are savoury. Here are some classics!

Poffertjes (The Netherlands)

In The Netherlands, one of the most popular sweet treats are poffertjes, often sold from a food truck or in local markets. Poffertjes are light and fluffy buckwheat pancakes, cooked individually on the hotplate. Instead of pulling them out in one connected roll, poffertjes are served individually, served with powdered sugar and sometimes chocolate syrup. They don’t form the same hollow shell, but they’re delicious all the same.

Takoyaki (Japan)

Moving into the savoury world, Japan’s takoyaki also uses a similar technique, but instead of clamping the hotplate closed, they are twisted and turned manually over scalloped hotplate wells, forming perfect ball-shapes. Takoyaki are made of a flour batter, and are filled with bits of chopped octopus, before finally being served with bonito flakes, takoyaki sauce, mayonnaise, and aonori seaweed flakes.

Æbleskiver (Denmark)

Æbleskiver are Danish snacks that translate to ‘apple slices’. They are typically a flour, buttermilk, milk, egg, sugar and salt batter, which are cooked on spherical wells on a stove top to give crusty shell and a fluffy inside. Traditional forms were made with apple or applesauce inside, but today are more commonly served with jam and powdered sugar.

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The Hong Kong is a classic street food dish that everyone should try when they visit. Whether you choose to have the classic recipe, a flavoured one, or even one of the more gourmet creations, you’ll definitely be in for a treat!

Love cakes? Love France? Don’t forget to check out my comprehensive French cakes and pastries guide!