Deep-Fried Milk with Quail Eggs

This is a recent innovation in the new Hong Kong cuisine and was a revelation to me when I first sampled it. The milk-based custard, not at all typically Chinese, is modified by the deep-frying technique. The result is a light, mild morsel, with a golden-brown-and-white crust and a creamy, tasty interior, a palpable contrast of textures when bitten into; and it pairs deliciously with the delicate quail eggs. The two together make an impressive first course or can be part of a light luncheon