Fried Fresh Milk (Zhǎ Xiān Nǎi)

Ingredients

• Milk
• Cornstarch
• Low-gluten flour or all-purpose flour
• Bread crumbs
• Eggs
• White sugar
• Heat-resistant square container approx. 20cm × 15cm
• Kitchen paper

Steps

1. Take out 80ml of milk and mix with cornstarch; stir until there are no visible lumps.
2. Pour the remaining 170ml milk and sugar into a pot, heat over low heat while stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Stir the cornstarch mixture again, then slowly pour it into the pot while stirring continuously.
4. Keep heating over low heat and keep stirring for about 3-5 minutes until the milk thickens; the mark left by scraping the bottom should remain for 3 seconds.
5. Coat the inner walls of the heat-resistant container with about 2ml of cooking oil, pour in the milk thickened mixture, and smooth the surface to a thickness of about 2cm.
6. After the mixture cools to room temperature, cover it and refrigerate in the fridge for at least 2 hours; remove when the surface yields slightly to light pressure—not sticky or liquid.
7. Unmold the set mixture and cut it into strips approx. 6cm × 2cm × 2cm, yielding about 12 strips.
8. Place the flour, beaten egg liquid, and bread crumbs into three separate containers.
9. Coat each milk strip sequentially with the flour, egg liquid, and bread crumbs, ensuring all sides are covered.
10. Pour 700ml cooking oil into the pan and heat over medium heat to 165-175℃; without a thermometer, test by adding a small amount of bread crumbs— they should float up within 2 seconds and continue to emit small bubbles.
11. Fry the strips in batches of 2-3, for about 60-90 seconds per batch; flip 1-2 times during the process to ensure even heating.
12. Remove the strips when the surface turns an even golden brown, drain on kitchen paper for about 2 minutes before eating.