Cantonese Deep-Fried Milk (Zha Xian Nai)

Ingredients

• For the milk set
• 250 ml full-fat milk
• 30 g cornstarch, 2 tbsp per 250 ml milk
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp neutral oil, for greasing the tray
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• For coating
• 30 g plain flour, for dusting
• 2 egg whites, beaten
• 60 g fine dry breadcrumbs, as fine as possible
• For frying and finishing
• 1 litre neutral frying oil, sunflower or groundnut
• 1 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting immediately after frying

Method

1. 1
   Lightly oil a flat tray or shallow dish. Whisk the cornstarch into the cold milk until no lumps remain, then whisk in the beaten egg white and sugar. Pour into a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens into a smooth, heavy paste that pulls away from the sides of the pan. The mixture is ready when it holds a firm mound on the spoon.
2. 2
   Pour the thickened milk paste into the prepared tray to a depth of approximately 1.5–2 cm. Smooth the surface with a spatula. Refrigerate, uncovered, for a minimum of two hours, until the set is completely firm — the surface should not yield at all when pressed with a fingertip.
3. 3
   Turn the chilled slab out onto a board. Cut into rectangles of 6 cm × 4 cm. Work quickly and handle each piece as little as possible; a cold, fully set slab is the only condition under which the pieces will survive coating intact. This is where the dish lives or dies: a partially chilled or warm slab will collapse the moment it meets flour.
4. 4
   Set up three shallow dishes: plain flour, beaten egg white, and fine breadcrumbs. Coat each rectangle in sequence — flour first, shaking off any excess; then egg white, allowing the surplus to drip; then a thin, even layer of fine breadcrumb. The coating must be thin. Press lightly to adhere. The finished piece should show no bare patches, confirmed by sight.
5. 5
   Heat the frying oil in a deep, heavy pan to 170°C. Lower the coated rectangles in batches — do not crowd. Fry for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until the exterior is evenly golden. The interior must only just warm through without fully melting; the colour is the guide — pale gold means underdone, deep amber means the interior will have begun to liquify and the coating may burst.
6. 6
   Remove with a spider or slotted spoon and drain briefly on absorbent paper. Dust immediately with icing sugar — the sugar will absorb surface oil and provide the dish's characteristic gentle sweetness. Serve at once; the contrast between the crisp shell and the warm, melting interior is the entire point of the dish, and it is lost within minutes.