By Ellen L. Published: 2019-03-19
This traditional Chinese dish famously from Daliang Town 大良鎮 is simple and yet oh so elegant! Stir Fried Milk 炒牛奶 uses fresh milk, egg whites, starch and a clever cooking technique to create a dish of delicate clouds of snowy white curds interspersed with sea sweet shrimps, buttery pine nuts and flecks of richly flavored ham. A real showstopper kind of dish!
Food chemistry is pretty incredible. Simple ingredients like milk and egg white, seemingly so disparate, when put together in the right proportions with the right amount of heat can become a wonderful something else entirely.
Interestingly buffalo milk is used in the traditional version of this dish. Buffalo milk has a higher fat content and cooks up creamier.
The shrimp and Chinese Jinhua Ham 金華火腿 are prepared separately. The shrimp is first marinated with salt to tighten the texture, a trick to 'crunch' it up. The Jinhua ham is minced and then steamed briefly, heating the ham up as well as releasing the fragrant oil.
After marinating the shrimp are blanched into pink and white perfection and allowed to cool. Don't over cook the shrimp, scoop out of water right away once the shrimp flesh turns opaque.
The cooked and cooled shrimp are added to the milk, egg whites and starch. The bit of starch is the key to the finished texture and consistency of the curds. We like to use potato starch instead of cornstarch as it makes for a smoother silkier texture
The key to this dish is the cooking technique. It is similar to how Chinese Shrimp & Eggs Stir Fry 蝦仁炒蛋 is made. But for this dish the heat needs to be controlled more carefully so as not to burn the milk so the oil is heated in a cold wok until hot, then the heat is turned off to allow oil to cool a bit before the milk mixture is poured in.
A gentle scraping of cooked curds to one side allows cloud like curds to form. It is important not to stir and to try not to disturb the formed curds as much as possible. It is also important to remember that this is a fast cooked dish so speed and careful watch of the wok are essential.
A final sprinkling of buttery rich pine nuts and bits of flavor packed ham provide the perfect accent both visually and taste wise to the delicate snowy clouds of white fried milk. A masterful pairing of flavors and textures, this elegant Stir Fried Milk dish is Chinese cuisine at its best!
Stir Fry Milk Recipe 炒牛奶
(adapted from Shunde Homecooking) Prep time: Cooking time:
Ingredients:
(adapted from Shunde Homecooking) Prep time: Cooking time:
- 20 nos shrimp, 200g
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 egg white, 240g
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 cup milk, 200ml
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp Jinhua ham 金華火腿, minced
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 2 tbsp oil
Directions:
Shell shrimps. Use scissors to snip along the back and remove black intestine. Toss with 1/2 tsp salt and marinate in fridge for half hour. Rinse the shrimp and blanch until shrimp just becomes opaque. Remove and let shrimps cool.
Steam ham for 2 mins.
Beat egg whites until loosened and foamy. Mix the cornstarch with a bit of the milk to wet and loosen the starch. Then mix the rest of the milk, egg whites, cornstarch and cooled shrimps all together and season with 1 tsp salt and white pepper.
Add oil to a cold wok and turn on a medium heat. When oil is hot* turn off heat and let sit for a minute then give the milk shrimp mixture a good stir before pouring into the oil.
You should see the bottom layer firm up and become opaque. Use spatula to scrape the cooked milk towards you and up the side of the wok, tilting the wok so that uncooked milk spreads out. If the milk stops cooking, turn the heat on to the lowest setting.
Repeat until all the milk is cooked into curds, remember not to stir, just scrape.
Once cooked remove immediately from wok by using a large spatula to gently lift the curds and place onto serving plate. Let sit for a few minutes, a small bit of water will settle to the bottom. Pour it off.
Sprinkle the jin hua ham over, scraping in any oil that released during the steaming. Sprinkle pine nuts over and your elegant Stir Fry Milk is done.
*Tip: Check oil by sticking in a wooden chopstick. If little bubbles form, the oil is hot enough.
Eggy Delights at The Hong Kong Cookery:
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