Fried Milk is the super satisfying popular Chinese dessert that you need to try now! You’ll find this intriguing treat at most Chinese bakeries and is most popular among the younger generation due to its comforting, crispy goodness – think mozzarella sticks but as a dessert.
But, instead of coating mozzarella cheese in breadcrumbs and frying, you use milk! That’s right, this crunchy gooey delicacy puts milk at the center stage. “But, milk is a liquid, how do you fry it,” you ask?
Keep reading to find out!
What is Fried Milk?
Fried Milk is a dessert that originated from Cantonese cuisine and has since been modernized to feature breadcrumbs to appeal to a wider audience, particularly the younger generation.
It is said that the dish was first made in the Shunde District of Guangdong in South China, where it was called ‘Da Liang’. The area had a large amount of water buffalo, so the milk was very thick.
Locals loved to create unique dishes like Fried Milk or ‘Da Liang’ as it was called, using the popular thick milk.
Over time, the recipe has developed into how we know Fried Milk today, a sweet, crispy delight with a mouth-watering gooey center to be gawked at on social media for it’s satisfying qualities.
How do you make Fried Milk?
While Fried Milk is easy to find in traditional Chinese bakeries and other Cantonese cuisine outlets, if you’re living in a different part of the world and would like to try this delicious dish, here’s the recipe.
You will need:
- Milk of choice (2 cups)
- Flour of choice (4 cups) or cornstarch (2 cups)
- Eggs (2 whisked)
- White sugar (½ cup)
- Salt (a pinch)
- Cooking oil (as desired)
- Breadcrumbs (1 cup)
- Seasonings of choice (nutmeg and/or cinnamon are good choices)
Method:
Step 1: Pour the milk into a large mixing bowl and sieve in the flour or cornstarch, sugar and a pinch of salt into the mixing bowl and mix until you get an even, liquid consistency. Add in any seasonings you wish like nutmeg or cinnamon (optional)
Step 2: Add the mixture to a pot and boil on a high heat. When it starts to boil, reduce it to a simmer, stirring slowly and often to prevent it from sticking. Do this until the mixture has turned into a thin paste
Step 3: Transfer the paste onto a baking tray and place into the refrigerator to set. This should take about 3 hours but check halfway through as it could take less. When it is ready to come out of the refrigerator, it will have firmed into a sort of thick custard that can be cut into without running
Step 4: Once set, remove from the refrigerator and slice vertically into thin even strips about, then slice across the middle of the tray horizontally to create two rows of strips
Step 5: Coat the strips in flour or cornstarch so that the strips are completely covered, then in a separate small bowl, whisk the eggs and submerge the coated strips in turn. Next, coat the eggy strips in breadcrumbs, covering them evenly
Step 6: In a deep pan, heat about 1 – 1 ½ inches of cooking oil at 360 degrees Fahrenheit then, depending on the size of the pan, fry 2 to 3 strips at a time until they are golden then place them onto a paper towel to soak up any excess oil
Step 7: Allow them to cool for a minute or two to make sure they don’t scald your mouth. Then, either serve as is or you candust them in powdered sugar or cinnamon or add any other toppings as desired and serve while still warm for the desired, gooey texture
Cooking tips
Make sure you coat the strips evenly and cover the entire strip, including both ends so that when it goes into the oil to fry, none of the milk leaks through as this will ruin the overall texture and presentation.
The overall time required to make this recipe is about three hours including the time needed to set the mixture in the refrigerator, outside that, it only takes 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook!
It’s best served hot, especially if you’re after that satisfying gooey middle and warm golden crunch of the breadcrumbs, but they also taste great cold and are a great snack to prepare and eat throughout the week or as a nice pre-prepared dessert.
The dish tends to taste best when fresh dairy milk is used, but you can use whichever milk you wish!
What’s so great about this recipe is that it’s very versatile, and you can customize it as much as you like.
It can easily be made dairy free, gluten free and/or vegan. Just use whichever milk you like and gluten free flour or cornstarch, which is already gluten free and vegan.
For the breadcrumb coating you can either use cornstarch again or use gluten free breadcrumbs. For the eggs, you can either just leave them out or use an egg substitute.
Here are some recommended ingredient swaps:
- To replace dairy milk – almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, rice milk, cashew milk
- To replace flour: cornstarch, gluten free flour, cornflour, buckwheat flour
- To replace eggs vegan milk, eggless batter
- To replace breadcrumbs: cornstarch, gluten free breadcrumbs, gluten free oats, crushes nuts
Final thoughts
In terms of nutritional content, this isn’t the healthiest dish, but served in moderation it’s a well-deserved comforting dessert that requires very few ingredients and could probably be made from ingredients everyone already has at home.
If you’re craving something sweet but don’t want to run out to the store, this recipe is perfect for you. Plus, this unique and delicious delicacy will impress your friends and family.
So, don’t settle for a simple sponge cake, indulge your sweet tooth while engaging with new cultures and cuisines and give making Chinese Fried Milk a try.
