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Deep fried milk or fried milk is a popular Cantonese dessert that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It is similar to a creamy pudding made with simple ingredients: milk, sugar, cornstarch, eggs, and panko bread crumbs. So if you have extra milk in the fridge, this is a fun and sweet way to make use of it.

What Is Deep Fried Milk?
The Best Tips For Making Deep Fried Milk
How To Store And Reheat Deep Fried Milk
Things You Need To Make Deep Fried Milk
Steps To Make Deep Fried Milk

What Is Deep Fried Milk?

Deep fried milk is a Chinese dessert that started in the Shunde District of Guangdong. It is popularly served at Cantonese dim sum restaurants that pairs well with condensed milk, vanilla caramel sauce, or any of your favorite dipping sauces. You may wonder if it is possible to fry milk when it is supposed to be a drink.

I asked myself the same question – How can milk be deep fried? The answer is simple! The milk filling is first cooked by mixing the milk and cornstarch together on low heat. Then, refrigerate the mixture for a few hours and you will be able to have a solid mixture that can be sliced and deep fried.

Dip it into cornstarch, followed by beaten eggs, and then panko bread crumbs. Yes, you have to follow that exact order of coating. This gives you that crispy outside texture and golden color from the fried panko bread crumbs.

Each bite has a creamy filling with a crunchy coating. Did I mention you can easily make this vegan-friendly too? You can replace milk with plant-based milk and eggs with an egg substitute.

The Best Tips For Making Deep Fried Milk

Use whole milk or full cream milk. I prefer milk with more fat to make it creamier. However, other types of milk are still a good choice and can still be creamy and squishy with the added cornstarch.
When dipping into the wet and dry batter, you can avoid having messy hands by following the dipping rule: Use your wet hand for wet ingredients and your dry hand for dry ingredients only. In this way, you can avoid having sticky hands from mixing wet and dry batter into your fingers. Sticky fingers make coating the milk filling harder and can have an uneven coating. The filling will tend to stick to your fingers and cause it to break.
Do not skip cornstarch and follow the right amount needed. Cornstarch is important in solidifying the mixture. If you use less cornstarch, the mixture will not be thick enough when simmering and will not solidify in the fridge.
When the milk and cornstarch mixture is ready to be set on a container, make sure to grease the container first with a thin layer of oil or butter. Greasing helps remove the solidified mixture easily from the container. You can also use parchment paper if you prefer no oil.
When placing the milk and cornstarch mixture onto the container, make sure to spread it out evenly to have a consistent and nice-looking shape when cut. The same cuts and sizes will ensure the pieces are deep fried consistently. When you have uneven sizes, the frying time for each piece will be different. Of course, bigger pieces require longer frying time, while smaller pieces require shorter frying time.

How To Store And Reheat Deep Fried Milk

If you have leftovers or are saving them for the next time, you can keep them in a sealed, airtight container to maintain their quality and moisture. You want to avoid the deep fried milk from being contaminated and absorbing other foods in the fridge. Reheat the deep fried milk in the microwave for a few minutes to have a warm dessert every time.

However, reheating it in a microwave might make it soggy and may not be as crunchy as before. For leftover milk and cornstarch mixture, you can keep it for future use by storing it in an airtight container for up to three days. When you are ready to fry the milk filling, simply take it out, coat it with the batter, and deep fry it as usual.

Things You Need To Make Deep Fried Milk

Deep fried milk is a pantry-friendly recipe since all the ingredients you need are staple cooking ingredients. Plus, you can simply use common kitchenware such as pots and pans for cooking. Just find a fitting container that can help you make even rectangular cuts of the deep fried milk.

Kitchenware

Pot for simmering the mixture
Spatula for stirring
Pan for deep frying the milk filling
Deep fryer ladle or spatula
Square or rectangular container for the mixture’s shape
Knife for cutting

Ingredients

Filling

500ml milk
30g white sugar
60g cornstarch

Batter

1 cup cornstarch (or more)
2 beaten eggs (or more)
1 cup panko bread crumbs (or more)

Others

Oil for deep frying (Tip: Canola oil, peanut oil, and vegetable oil are great for deep frying because of their high smoke points)
Butter or oil for greasing or parchment paper for lining the container
Dipping sauce (condensed milk or vanilla caramel sauce)
Kitchen paper towel or strainer for draining oil

Steps To Make Deep Fried Milk

Follow these easy steps to make the sweet and creamy deep fried milk:

In a pot, add 500ml milk, 30g white sugar, and 60g cornstarch. Mix well until there are no clumps.

Cook on medium-high heat and continuously stir for 5 minutes while ensuring the cornstarch does not settle at the bottom of the pot.

Tips; Once the mixture is simmering, turn the heat low and continue stirring.

Keep stirring until the mixture has a thick, goopy, and Greek yogurt-like consistency. It should not easily fall or drip when you take a scoop.

Prepare the container by lining it with parchment paper or greasing it with a thin layer of butter or oil. This step is important for the easy removal of the solidified mixture after refrigerating.

Pour the milk and cornstarch mixture into the container.

Let it cool down to room temperature. Once it cools, place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until it is fully set and solidified.

Check if the mixture is solid, similar to a fresh Nian Gao. Carefully remove it from the container. You don’t want it to break apart. Cut the milk pudding into small rectangles.

Using your dry hand, dip it into the cornstarch. Then, gently dip it into the beaten eggs while making sure your dry hand does not touch the wet batter. Use your wet hand instead to roll and coat it into the eggs. Next, place it onto the panko bread crumbs and use your dry hand again to coat it fully.

Repeat steps 12 to 14 for the remaining pieces.

Heat a pan with oil. Once the oil is hot and ready, deep fry the coated milk pudding over medium heat for 1 minute or until it is golden and crispy.

Drain excess oil using a strainer or patting it on kitchen paper towels. Serve and enjoy with a sweet dipping sauce such as condensed milk and vanilla caramel sauce.