Vietnamese Coconut Waffles

Ever since I got my waffle maker, I've been searching for a specific waffle recipe. Waffles in the Western world are seen to be a breakfast item, or dessert that goes with ice cream. But in Singapore and other parts of Asia, waffles are seen as a snack item which you can simply buy from a shop. Usually in Singapore bread shops have a little waffle stand set up near the entrance. You put in your order and they'll make it for you on the spot. If you're unlucky you'll get one that was pre-made and had been sitting on top of the waffle maker for a while. But most often than not, you usually get a fresh one. And you get your choice of topping such as chocolate, strawberry jam, peanut butter, or kaya (pandan jam) or simply plain.

E and I are rather picky when it comes to our waffles, we like them crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. And we want that crispiness to last too. Some shops sell nice tasting waffles, but it's just soggy and no crispiness at all. If I had to describe it I would say it is more like pancakes rather than Belgian Waffles.

If you've been following my blog, you'd know that I've tried out 2 other waffle recipes. One with Buttermilk/Milk and the other the yeasted variety which is what Beligan Waffles are supposed to be like. But I still wasn't satisfied. My Mum told me that she had a recipe that used coconut milk, but she couldn't remember the recipe off hand. So what do I do, I Googled of course! And came across this website for Vietnamese Coconut Waffles. And the rest is history.

I now declare that I do not need any othe waffles recipe. This is the it. The texture and taste of this one is entirely different to the previous ones I made. Previous ones tasted like a cross between pancakes and crumpets. But these tasted like a cross between pancakes and cake. E said I shouldn't share the recipe, but since I got it from another site, I think it's only fair that I share it with everybody. So here it is:

Source: http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2007/08/vietnamese-coco.html

This yielded about 6 waffles on my waffle iron.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
7 - 8 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, or 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg, separated
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla or pandan extract

1. Heat the waffle iron and have an electric mixer handy. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornstarch, salt, soda and cream of tartar (or baking powder). Use the whisk to combine the egg yolk, coconut milk, butter, and extract of choice.

2. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to gently stir. Switch to a folding motion toward the end to incorporate all the flour. If the resulting batter looks lumpy, that's okay. Expect the batter to be thick. Avoid over-stirring, lest the batter becomes over worked and yields a chewy, tough waffle. Set aside momentarily

3. Use the electric mixer to beat the egg white for about 1 minute, or until it holds a 1 ½-inch peak. It will look solid white. Use the rubber spatula to gently fold in the egg white.

4. Spread a decent amount of batter onto the waffle iron, stopping short of the far outer edges since the batter will spread once the top is lowered. (I often don't fill up all the holes and let gravity distribute the waffle.) Cook the waffle until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Darker waffles will be crisper (and stay crisper) than lighter ones. Aim for medium-brown, not light tan.

5. To remove the waffle, I use a pair of mini tongs with a silicon head so as not to scratch the surface of the non stick waffle iron. Place the waffle (which will be slightly soft) onto a cooling rack, where it will crisp up. Break up the waffle and enjoy warm. They'll soften as they sit but may be reheated to a crisp in the toaster oven.

Below is the picture of all 3 waffles side by side. I'm not sure if you can see clearly, but the Buttermilk Waffles (the one on the right) had the smoothest looking surface and this went soft pretty much immediately. The Yeasted Waffles (middle one) looked more 'patchy' to the rest, but i'm not sure why. It certainly was crispy, but you could also taste the yeast which might not be for everybody. It was also the one that took the longest to cook (would probably make everyone starved at breakfast). The Vietnamese Coconut Waffles (left one), not sure if you can really see has a bit of a cake like appearance and the colour was more even (but I guess uneven colouring would also depend on individual waffle irons and different photo conditions). Its batter was also the easiest to handle without over filling the waffle maker and having it drip or overflow.