The half egg

Why is there half an egg in the original Don pie?

There is half an egg in the original Don pie because there always has been, as far as anyone has written. Blog posts about Chef Don Lim’s pies at Far East Square and China Square in 2006 and 2008 mention the egg. Reviews today still do. In our own notes we call it our signature egg, and in the Original Chicken Pie it is not optional.

It is also, quite simply, what many Singaporeans expect. Ask people who grew up here about a “proper” old-school chicken pie and the egg comes up quickly.

Where does the egg in a chicken pie come from?

The egg in a Singapore chicken pie is a local habit, usually linked to the Hainanese-style pies that grew up in Singapore’s coffee shops and bakeries. British chicken pies rarely include egg. Some British pork and gala pies do carry whole boiled eggs, and it is possible the idea travelled, but we have not found a reliable history that settles it, so we will not pretend to.

What is clear is that the half egg became part of the Singapore chicken pie’s identity. Food writer Leslie Tay, reviewing our pie in 2023, named the half egg as part of its old-school Hainanese character. We tell more of that background in The Hainanese thread, and the style is described for readers abroad in chickenpie.net’s atlas entry on the Singapore Hainanese chicken pie.

What does the egg do for the pie?

The egg does three things for a chicken pie.

1. Richness. The yolk melts slightly into the gravy around it and makes that part of the filling richer.
2. Contrast. The white is firm and clean against soft potato and creamy gravy, so it gives the mouthful a different texture.
3. Generosity. An egg is a visible extra. Cutting a pie open and finding half an egg tells you the cook did not skimp.

Of the three, the last is the one people remember. A filling with an egg in it looks like someone cared.

Why half an egg and not a whole one?

Half an egg suits a personal pie better than a whole one. A whole egg takes up too much room and leaves less space for chicken. Halved, it sits flat in the filling, shows its yolk when the pie is cut, and leaves the chicken as the main event.

How do you cook a good hard-boiled egg for a pie?

If you make your own chicken pies, a few standard rules make for a better egg:

1. Cook it through. A hard-boiled egg for a pie should have a fully set yolk. It will heat again in the oven but should not rely on the bake to cook it.
2. Cool it quickly. Moving cooked eggs into cold water stops the cooking and helps prevent the grey-green ring that forms around an overcooked yolk.
3. Peel it carefully. Torn whites look untidy and break up in the filling.
4. Halve it lengthways with a sharp, wet knife for a clean yolk.
5. Add it as you fill the pie, so it is surrounded by filling rather than sitting against the crust.

Do all of your pies have an egg?

Not all of our pies have an egg. The half egg belongs to the Original Chicken Pie. Our other pies have fillings of their own, and the Chicken Shepherd’s Pie is topped with mash rather than pastry. If you want the egg, choose the Original. If your Original Chicken Pie from one of our outlets arrives without it, please let the outlet know.

The egg as a sign of the original

The half egg is one of our seven signs of the original. On its own it proves nothing, because many good Singapore bakers put egg in their pies too, as Pie Singapore’s comparison of ten chicken pie sellers shows. Together with where you bought the pie, the crust and the chunky filling, it helps you recognise DonChef’s Original Chicken Pie, made to the recipe Chef Don Lim created in 1983. Where the egg sits among the other layers is shown in the anatomy of the original, and more essays like this one are in our craft notes.