MANILA, Philippines?Ever wondered how fried tempura ice cream is made?

Tempura is a Japanese specialty that means batter-dipped. For this recipe, instead of using typical pieces of seafood or vegetables dipped in soy sauce and wasabi, delightful scoops of ice cream are used, drizzled with chocolate syrup, cherries and slivers of almonds?quite a dessert to impress family and friends.

?Batter-dipped ice cream is usually deep-fried,? says Boyet Llamador, head chef of Tempura Japanese Grill (tel. 3747460) on Thompson Square, Tomas Morato St., Quezon City. ?This recipe, however, requires timing and a good deep-fryer to fry the tempura ice cream. The warm crunchy tempura perfectly pairs with the cold creaminess of the underlying ice cream.?

If you heed some tips, this fried dessert, one of the bestsellers at Tempura in Quezon City, is not so hard to make at home. All its ingredients are in grocery stores. The batter is basic pancake batter with a pinch of salt.

Make sure to serve the tempura ice cream immediately after frying. It is best that, while the tempura ice cream is frozen, you pour the oil into a deep-fat fryer or a heavy-bottomed stockpot. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.

You can either use slices of loaf bread or taisan to bind the ice cream. And as optional toppings, wafer cookie, whipped cream, strawberry sauce, fresh fruit and powdered sugar are also ideal.

You can also try different flavors of ice cream.

Ingredients:
Slices of bread
Ice cream, any
flavor
Cooking oil
Chocolate syrup
Cherry
Cornstarch for dusting
For batter mix:
150 g cake flour
1 egg yolk
Pinch of salt
8 oz cold water

For suggestions, e-mail the author at vbaga@inquirer.com.ph.

1. IN A MIXING bowl, combine flour, egg and ice-cold water. Whisk well. Set aside.

2. REMOVE the outer layer of the bread. Place bread on a flat surface with aluminum foil. Press bread firmly using your fingers.

3. PLACE three scoops of ice cream in the middle of the bread.

4. ROLL bread tightly. Then place in freezer, and let sit until completely frozen.

5. REMOVE wrap and roll frozen tempura in cornstarch.

6. DIP TEMPURA into the batter mixture. Cover tempura with the batter evenly.

7. MEANWHILE, heat oil in deep-fryer to 375?F. If you do not have a deep-fryer, you can use a hot pot of oil. Carefully drop the battered ice cream into the hot oil by using kitchen tongs or a slotted spoon.

8. QUICKLY fry tempura for approximately 5 to 10 seconds, until the tempura batter has turned golden.

9. LET COOL for a few seconds. Cut into four pieces. Transfer in a platter. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Add cherry.

10. FRIED Tempura Ice Cream