Have you ever wondered what happens when you combine the flavors of Hong Kong milk tea and Portuguese egg tarts? You get Hong Kong milk tea Portuguese egg tarts (wow, that’s a mouthful…)! Egg tarts are one of my daughter’s favourite foods. The way she likes to eat them though is somewhat controversial. She scoops out and eats all the custard and then leaves me with all the empty tart shells! Does anybody else do this?! I prefer to enjoy mine whole, as is, with a cup of freshly steeped tea. Now we usually buy them from our local Asian supermarket, but I thought why not try to make my own and infuse it with the tea flavour itself! (P.S. I know the whipped cream on top is not traditional, but my daughter loves cream and would add it to everything if she could. And you know what? It works really well with these tarts!)
What’s the difference between Portuguese egg tarts and regular egg tarts?
Most popularly known as Pasteis de Nata in Portugal, Portuguese egg tarts are flaky tart pastries filled with a sweet egg custard that’s caramelized on top. The version I’m sharing today is more similar to the Portuguese egg tarts found in Macau which are more eggy and less sweet. Egg tarts are also a classic dim sum staple in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, but those egg tarts are usually made with a short crust pastry and are usually smooth and glossy on top. All equally delicious though!
What is Hong Kong milk tea?
In Hong Kong, you will most likely come across cha chaan tengs (cafes) serving Hong Kong milk tea. Hong Kong milk tea is a smooth, delicious blend of teas usually containing Ceylon black tea and a secret blend of other teas. It’s usually served sweetened with a splash of evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk.
Here are the ingredients that you will need to make these Hong Kong milk tea Portuguese egg tarts:
- Puff pastry tart shells: If you are eager/skilled enough, then feel free to make your own tart shells from scratch! But if you are lazy and don’t have time (like myself) then just look for high quality, pre-made frozen ones at your local Asian supermarket. If you live in Metro Vancouver, I got mine from T&T Supermarket. I have also seen them at Sungiven Foods. Just make sure to look for puff pastry tart shells and not the western-style short crust tart shells.
- Whole milk: Use the full fat stuff here (3.25% or higher) to give you the most creamy custard. This isn’t the time to cut calories.
- Granulated sugar: Regular white granulated sugar is fine here.
- Hong Kong milk tea bags: Use the best quality you can find to get the best tea flavour. Hong Kong milk tea is technically a blend of teas but it usually contains Ceylon black tea. If you are using looseleaf tea, make sure to put it in a tea bag or strain your mixture through a fine mesh strainer once you have steeped the tea.
- Egg yolks: Just the yolks, no whites. Save the whites to make my iced hojicha macchiato to go with the egg tarts!
- Pure vanilla extract: Use pure if possible (not artificial) to get the best flavour.
- Whipping cream: Sometimes also known as heavy cream. Just make sure it’s liquid and doesn’t come pre-whipped in a can…unless you just don’t have the mental capacity for that today.
- Icing sugar: For sweetening your whipping cream – unless of course you just bought the whip cream in a can
Mental wellness tip of the day: You can’t just eat empty egg tart shells
Wait, is that how it goes?
No, it’s you can’t pour from an empty cup (but I think my egg tart analogy works too).
Don’t forget to pour yourself some tea and take care of yourself first before taking care of others.
Okay, so you’ve probably heard that one a million times (minus the egg tart analogy). But do you actually do it? Or do you go around pouring tea at dim sum for everyone and end up with nothing left for yourself? We all want to be helpful human beings (at least I hope so). But sometimes we push ourselves too far (or we end up eating too many sad empty tart shells). We have good intentions, but we forget about the one person that truly needs care and love: ourselves. So take care of yourself first by making these Hong Kong Milk Tea Portuguese Egg Tarts and enjoying it WITH the delicious infused custard inside!
Recipe video and more on the topic of self care and self love below:
Hong Kong Milk Tea Portuguese Egg Tarts
16
servings15
minutes25
minutes40
minutesThese Hong Kong Milk Tea Portuguese Egg Tarts are flaky, creamy and not too sweet. They are infused with the flavours and aromas of a perfectly brewed cup of Hong Kong Milk Tea.
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
16 Puff Pastry Tart Shells, store-bought/homemade, thawed if frozen
2/3 cup Whole Milk (150 g)
1/3 cup Granulated White Sugar (70 g)
2 Hong Kong Milk Tea Bags
6 Egg Yolks
3/4 cup Whipping Cream/Heavy Cream (175 g)
1-1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- Optional for Garnish
1/4 cup Whipping Cream/Heavy Cream (60 g)
2 tablespoons Icing Sugar (adjust sweetness to taste)
1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1/8 teaspoon Hong Kong Milk Tea Leaves
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Place thawed tart shells on a baking sheet.
- In a small pot, add milk, sugar and tea bags. Turn on the heat to medium and bring to a low simmer. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat, cover with a lid and let sit for 3 minutes.
- Pour milk tea mixture through a fine mesh sieve to strain out any loose tea leaves. Let cool until room temperature.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks. Add cooled milk tea mixture. Then gently mix in whipping cream and vanilla extract. (Be careful not to overmix to avoid incorporating too much air into the filling.)
- Pour filling through a fine mesh sieve to remove any air bubbles.
- Evenly divide the filling into the tart shells. Gently tap the pan on a flat surface to remove any trapped air bubbles. Use a toothpick to pop any bubbles on the top to create a smooth surface.
- Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 20-25 minutes or until filling is starting to caramelize on top and the tart shell turns golden brown.
- Optional Garnish
- Place whipping cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl.
- Whip with a whisk or electric beaters until medium peaks form.
- Place whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a tip of choice.
- Pipe whipped cream onto completely cooled tarts.
- Sprinkle top with a light dusting of tea leaves if desired.
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