Why you should cook your scrambled eggs Hong Kong-style

We all have our preferences when it comes to cooking scrambled eggs.

But, no matter how you make them, I think we can all agree that the end goal is a light and fluffy yet creamy texture.

With that being the case, you might want to try cooking your eggs the Hong Kong way - a method that's said to bring an even richer dimension to the dish.

And there's one key ingredient you might not expect.

Cooking scrambled eggs Hong Kong-styles results in a rich flavour and creamy texture (Getty Stock Image/MarianVejcik)

The Hong Kong Egg Scramble for the Salt Sugar MSG cookbook by Calvin Eng is inspired by the scrambled eggs you'd find on the menu at a Cha Chaan Teng, a distinctive type of restaurant in the region that serves Western-style diner staples adapted to Cantonese tastes.

The recipe includes all the standard fare for the dish - salt, pepper and butter to taste - but its signature silky texture comes from two unexpected ingredients: cornstarch and evaporated milk.

The cornstarch, which is frequently used in Chinese cooking to make sauces thick and glossy, acts as a thickening agent and protects the eggs against overcooking, meaning you can pretty much guarantee that they'll come out moist and tender.

Evaporated milk is the key to its signature silky texture (Getty Stock Image/ninikas)

And, as for the evaporated milk, while it's not used all that often in Western cuisine anymore, it remains a staple in Hong Kong.

Its nutty, caramel-like creaminess makes it a popular choice when making Hong-Kong-style milk tea. And, as it offers a much deeper flavour from fresh milk, it adds a lovely richness to scrambled eggs too.

After a few pushes around a pan with a spatula, you’ll be left with airy custard-like golden curds which sound truly delicious and definitely a step up from shoving a bit of skimmed milk in and hoping for the best.

Food website Epicurious recommends serving the dish on top of white rice with thinly sliced scallions and picked cucumber but we think they'd work just as well added to a bacon sandwich for your brekkie.

The dish is a staple at Cha Chaan Tengs, a distinctive type of restaurant that serves Western-style diner food adapted to Cantonese tastes (Getty Stock Image/Thai Liang Lim)

And, there's a pretty big debate when it comes to how you should store your eggs.

The UK way dictates that eggs can be stored at room temperature, in the US, they store them in the fridge.

According to baking legend and former Great British Bake Off judge Mary Berry, it's the Americans that are doing it right.

She says: "Store eggs in their box in the refrigerator (away from strong foods so that they do not absorb flavours and odours through their shells). If you place them pointed end down, the yolk will remain centred in the white. And always use them by their use-by date."

Good to know!