Deep-Fried
Ice Cream

Name: Deep-fried Ice Cream with Salted Butterscotch Sauce
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 500ml full-cream vanilla ice cream; 1 egg; 2 tablespoons milk; 1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs; Vegetable oil, for deep-frying; 125g unsalted butter; 100g brown sugar; 1/2 cup cream; 1 teaspoon salt flakes; 2 tablespoons Cointreau

Like most Anglo-Celtic Aussies growing up in the 1970s, Chinese was the first foreign food I ever tasted and, at the time, frying ice cream was about as exotic a thing as I could imagine. Thankfully Chinese food in Australia has come a long way since then, but humour me and try this Aussie-Chinese classic. Three things ensure successful deep-fried ice cream: a firmly packed coating of breadcrumbs, very cold ice cream, and very hot oil. I use a 125ml measuring cup to scoop the ice cream out and roll it in my hands to shape into balls. The best way to egg and crumb anything is to use one hand to dip into the egg and the other to roll in the crumbs, at the end you’ll need both hands to press the crumbs onto the balls, but at least start out that way. Use a full-cream ice cream and commercial fine dry breadcrumbs for best results, and serve your deep-fried ice cream with another nip of the Cointreau that went into the sauce! See video below for another Chinese sweet treat.

Serves 4

Ingredients

500ml full-cream vanilla ice cream
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Salted Butterscotch Sauce

125g unsalted butter
100g (½ cup) brown sugar
½ cup cream
1 teaspoon salt flakes
2 tablespoons Cointreau

Method

Roll ice cream into 4 balls, place on a baking paper-lined plate and return to freezer until very hard.
Lightly beat egg and milk together and place in a bowl. Place breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl.
Working one at a time, dip balls into egg mixture, then roll in breadcrumbs, pressing them on firmly. Return to the plate and freeze until hard.
Repeat the egg and breadcrumb mixture twice more, pressing and rolling the balls in your hands to firmly coat them and give a smooth shape, returning them to the freezer for at least an hour between coatings.
Return to freezer until very hard, preferably overnight.
Make Salted Butterscotch Sauce: combine butter, sugar, cream and salt in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in Cointreau, transfer to a sauce jug and set aside.
Heat oil in a saucepan until very hot.
One at a time, use a slotted spoon to lower the balls into the oil for 20-30 seconds, just until they’re golden brown. Drain on paper towel.
Serve deep-fried ice cream immediately with Salted Butterscotch Sauce.