Fried milk (simplified Chinese: 炸鲜奶; traditional Chinese: 炸鮮奶; pinyin: zhà xiān nǎi), also known as Daliang Fried Fresh Milk and Crispy Milk Curd,[1] [2] is a dessert of Cantonese cuisine, which originated in the Shunde District of Guangdong, China.[3] This is a typical dish of the soft-fried method, with a golden and crispy outer skin, soft and white on the inside, with a milky flavor. Milk is thickened with flour, cornstarch, and sugar. Thoroughly mix the fried milk ingredients and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and becomes sticky. Pour the mixture into a container and cool or refrigerate until it solidifies. Once firm, cut it into rectangular pieces and coat each piece with a batter typically made from cornstarch, water, and eggs. Then, deep fry the battered pieces in hot oil until golden brown.[4]
Shunde's milk-based dishes are highly renowned. In one of its areas, Daliang, the fertile land supports the raising of buffaloes that produce high-quality milk. The taste of fried milk made with local buffalo milk, instead of regular milk, is noticeably different. Buffalo milk contains almost double the fat as other milks, such as goat milk and cow milk, and is relatively high in protein, making it more nutritious.[5] And this is a typical desserts of Cantonese cuisine.[6]
It is similar to the Spanish dessert leche frita.[7] This is Spanish-style fried milk and is a famous dessert. The ingredients are similar to fried milk and can be flavored with cinnamon sugar or lemon peel. The appearance of this dessert is in the form of a square.[8]
Fried milk was developed in the mid to late 1970s by a chef named Dingwen He, borrowing from the practice of Fried Water Chestnut Cake. Dingwen He was good at developing milk dishes and insisted on using buffalo milk from Shunde for his gastronomic research.[9] [10]
In 2020, the art of making fried milk was inscribed on the eighth intangible cultural heritage list of Shunde District.
The appearance of fried milk became popular that other improved buffalo milk products or similar delicacies appeared in the Shunde. The Ginger Crispy Milk Roll, which was also developed by Dingwen He, is derived as a special milk dish with a unique flavor, and won the rank of "Gold Award of Lingnan Special Dish" .[11]
Many innovations have been developed in the way of eating fried milk, such as the fried milk dipped in sliced almonds and fried in Cantonese restaurants, which adds a nutty flavor. One innovation is to cover the original batter base with a layer of sliced almonds, and more common innovation is to use breadcrumbs instead of batter to cover the outside of the milk that is in the form of cubes, which will have a crunchier texture.