“Deep fried ice cream!” While some might have heard of and eaten this dessert there might be many who will raise their eyebrows and exclaim “Ice cream fried in oil!”

Well I had eaten deep fried ice cream in Dubai and relished it. Last week when I was planning a Chinese menu for dinner I decided to make deep fried ice cream for dessert.

Though the frying and serving part takes just a few seconds per ice cream, the preparation has to be two days or at least one whole day in advance.

Here goes the entire theory:

I purchased a family pack of vanilla ice cream. Scooped 6 small balls and kept it in a box in the deep freezer.

I then crushed a bowl of cornflakes (plain or honey crunch will do)finely in the mixer grinder.

After six hours I removed the box from the deep freezer and rolled the ice cream balls in the cornflakes powder. I immediately kept the ice cream balls back in the box and inside the freezer.

Next morning I took two tablespoons of milkmaid (sweetened condensed milk) and added one tablespoon water to it. ( It must not be too thick or too thin. Just enough to roll the ice cream)

I took out the box again, and rolled the ice cream balls in milkmaid and then rolled it in bread crumbs.

(I always have bread crumbs in the fridge. I dry toast bread and powder it in the mixer grinder and store in an airtight box. It comes handy while making cutlets etc. You can buy it from the supermarket or bakery).

I rolled the breadcrumbs coated ice cream balls in the remaining cornflakes powder for the extra coating.

This entire procedure took me hardly five minutes as I couldn’t risk the ice cream melting. I kept all the coated ice cream balls in the freezer.

After this procedure, the ice cream must be frozen for at least 12 hours in the deep freezer.

I had lots of time as I had planned it for Saturday evening. So after enjoying Chinese vegetable noodles, Chilly idly and Baby corn Manchurian dry I got up to serve the dessert.

I heated oil in a deep pan (kadai) and when the oil was nicely hot I slowly inserted one coated ice cream ball in it.

Rolled it around for 3 -5 seconds and immediately drained it on absorbent paper.

I served it in a cute glass bowl and even as I fried the remaining ice cream balls, I could hear my children shouting “Mom, one more please… Why did you make only six?”

The warm and crisp outer covering and the cold un-melted ice cream inside… Just look at it…

( I searched for this recipe on the net but could find versions where the ice cream was coated with egg white. I did not want to use egg white and had the option of using a mix of white flour and cornflour but decided against it. Finally I hit upon the idea of rolling the ice cream in condensed milk. This is an excellent option and tastes simply delicious.)

The recipe is not difficult or tedious as it sounds. The main aspect is pre-planning two days in advance.

Step 1 : scooping ice cream balls takes hardly a couple of minutes.

Step 2: rolling it in cornflakes powder takes two minutes (for 6-8 ice cream balls)

Step 3: second coat of rolling in milkmaid and bread crumbs and final coat of leftover cornflakes powder takes a maximum of five minutes. You can’t afford to take more time as the ice cream will start melting.

Step 4: deep frying is 3-5 seconds per ice cream. So in effect if you calculate the time for 6 deep fried ice creams it will be less then 6-8 minutes of effort over two days.

(Bread crumbs and crushing the cornflakes takes hardly two minutes) And the taste is worth waiting for two days…

The ice cream turns rock hard after the final coat and 24 hours freezing so it doesn’t melt when fried…

Try it!