JOIN USYour choice: Lick it or munch on it
Have you ever heard of an ice cream which is fried? Irrespective of the weather, ice creams are a delight to eat, anytime and anywhere.
But aren’t we always used to having a smoking chilled ice cream or a creamy one doused in chocolate or strawberry syrup?
If you ask people about ‘fried ice cream’ and reactions like Aisa bi kuchh hota hai kya?; Ye kahan milta hai? and “An ice cream which is fried, sounds disgusting!” will surely come your way.
One finds the very term, mystifying. An ice cream is usually eaten when at -12 degrees Celsius. How does one fry a cold food item?
To find more about this deeply alluring-sounding dessert, Metrolife spoke to a few chefs and restaurant owners.
Fried ice cream is served in few, if not many restaurants, in the city. Sumit Goyal, owner of Dude Food and Gastronomica says, “The reason for the dessert being so rare can be because of the immense technicalities that are involved in preparing it.”
“A layman who doesn’t know the science of culinary art might not at all comprehend as to how one prepares something like a fried ice cream,” he adds.
Serving four scoops of a fried butterscotch ice cream with chocolates and strawberries at the cost of Rs 299, Goyal tells Metrolife, “It is one of the most liked desserts of our restaurants.”
Elucidating about the technicalities of preparing the dessert, Chandra Shekhar, executive chef at Zamozza World Kitchen and Bar , says, “Time control and maintaining the correct temperature are very crucial for preparing a fried ice cream. We have to take ice cream at the temperature -21 degree Celsius, so that it can retain the boiling oil, when fried. The outer batter can be prepared as per the cook’s choice, ranging from cinnamon, maple to cornflakes, biscuits, etc. The oil must be heated at 190 degree Celsius, with the ice cream -- coated with batter – dipped in it for not more than 30 seconds.”
“The layer gets crispy, and is ready to serve and eaten immediately”, he adds.“It is a very unique dessert. I had it for the first time at Residency Hotel in Coimbatore, when I was there for a holiday,” 24-year-old Vipul Bakshi, who works in a textile company in Delhi, tells Metrolife.
“The outer layer is thin, crispy and warm,” he goes on to explain, “and the ice cream inside is chilled and delicious as ice cream always is!” he says with a delightful smile on his face.
Doesn’t sound disgusting anymore, right? With something as innovative as a fried ice cream entering the realm of desserts in the country, ice creams -- a universal favourite of people belonging to all age groups -- have surely evolved tremendously with time.
As Goyal claims, “While we have newer and innovative introductions like Nitrogen ice creams and fried ice creams in gourmet food, we cannot deny that it is surely upgrading. People have been having ice creams for years, and even today, they take it pretty seriously.” But can every one afford it? Like Bakshi, how many will actually pay Rs 300-500 for a dessert?
Goyal seconds this thought, “This is amongst the other reasons why not many restaurants serve this dessert. I think we still have a long way to go before fried ice cream invites more footfalls and reaches to a mass chunk. After all, everybody doesn’t have a bandwidth of spending Rs 500 for an ice cream.”
Currently, Warehouse Cafe in Connaught Place serves fried ice cream for Rs 299; Dude Food restaurant in Satya Niketan for Rs 299; 21 Gun Salute restaurant in Gurgaon for Rs 175, Royal China in Nehru Place for Rs 295 and Sorm Bar and Grill in East of Kailash for Rs 150.
Experiment and try this innovative and delicious dessert, and find out if it’s really worth price money.