The Deep Fried Mars Bar Experiment
I knew I was in trouble the moment the conversation started:
Dom: You know, we’re getting a fair few search hits for “deep fried mars bar” – I think you should write a recipe or something.
Me: *I* should write a recipe? Why can’t you do it?
Dom: I don’t own a deep fat fryer.
Me: How do you know I have one?
Dom: *pointed silence*
Me: *shuffles awkwardly, wondering if it’s too late to remove the photos of homemade chips from Flickr*
Deep-fried Mars bars hit the news a couple of years back, when it was reported that chip shops in Scotland had these cholesterol-laden “delicacies”. At first, it was thought their existence was solely an urban myth, but an NHS survey found that just under 1 in 4 take-aways in Glasgow had the battered chocolate bar on their menu. And now it was my task to recreate them in the comfort of my own home.
For those wanting to repeat my experiment, I should at first list a few safety pointers. Chip pan fires are responsible for more injuries due to household fires than anything else. A heating chip pan should never EVER be left unattended, not even for a moment. I have an electric chip pan (which is considerably safer) but can still be dangerous – at the risk of stating the obvious, chip pan oil gets VERY VERY HOT – only a sober sensible adult should be attempting this recipe (but not too sensible, or you wouldn’t be trying deep-fried mars bars, right?). This is not the late night snack of choice after getting home from the pub. Deep-fried Mars bars are just not as fun if they involve a trip to A&E or a visit from the fire brigade.
The obligatory safety notice done, we can now move on to the recipe.
You will need:
A chip pan (preferably electric – see above)- vegetable oil
- 4 tsp plain flour
- 2 tsp cornflour
- a pinch of bicarbonate of soda
- a small amount of milk
- a Mars bar (I used a mini Mars bar, in the hope of retaining the use of some of my arteries after eating, but there should be enough batter for a full size Mars bar)
Method:
- Place the plain flour, cornflour and pinch of bicarb in a small bowl and give it a good mix.
- Gradually add small quantities of milk, stirring it in, until you get a smooth batter – you’re aiming for custard-style thickness for a good batter.
- Dip the Mars bar into the batter, making sure it’s coated properly. Lift out, and allow the excess liquid to drip away then place quickly into the chip pan, being careful not to get your fingers splashed with oil.
- The deep-fried mars bar is ready when the batter has browned (takes around 1 minute)
So… what were the results like?
Well, the first problem I found was that chocolate, when it gets hot, gets quite melty. All well and good, as that’s the point of deep-frying it and not totally unexpected. The downside to this fact though is that it had then melted around the mesh of the chip pan basket and was near impossible to remove. I managed to hack it off eventually with a knife, but it wasn’t going to win many awards for beauty. I was also very glad to own a dishwasher.
What did it taste like? Well, imagine a warm mush of chocolate and caramel ooze, surrounded in the batter you normally put round fried fish. That should give you a clue. The word “sacrilege” came to mind. It was very sickly and (in my opinion) a waste of a good chocolate bar. The idea of a warm and liquid centre appealed at first, but the combination became sickly and inedible after only a few bites. On reflection, it’d have been far less mess and effort to have just skipped the batter coating altogether and shoved it in the microwave for a few seconds.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to pop out to buy some Rennies…
Why not check out some of our more successful chocolate recipes instead.
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- Filed under mars bar.
You used a *mini* mars bar??
Well no wonder it didn’t work! Do it again with a proper mars bar at once!
😉
Be my guest to try it yourself with a full sized mars bar and report back *smiles sweetly at Dom*.
Um… no thanks, I think I’ll have to pass on that one. 🙂
I think you did something wrong – Fried Snickers are great: http://candyaddict.com/blog/2005/10/26/deep-fried-snickers/
Brian
You have to freeze the bars partially for this to work. Usually about 20 minutes in the freezer does the trick. I make deep fried Reese’s and Mars bars all the time for parties & get togethers. :o)
Do it again, Pewari. 😉
/me hides
HEre on Cape Cod, these are a staple at fairs – fried Snickers, Milky Ways, Mars, and so on. But an unexpected favorite it a Fried Twinkie!
Ugly but GOOD. Hey we aren’t making truffles here! We’re frying the heck out of a candy bar. Whats better than that? Good job YUM
Your ment to chill the mars bar first, for example have them stored in the fridge, thats why you had the problem with melting and the general poor state of the end product.
They were chilled – I *always* chill chocolate (mainly because I don’t have the cupboard space in my kitchen). I do think in retrospect that freezing might have been the way to go though.
one word….ewww! *giggles*
Dude man, the batter gotta have a thicker consistency than yo custard.
No wonder the goddamn baby Mars bar broke and melted
Jeez Louise
While it’s frying, you gotta do some “repairs”, you know, add a bit of batter here and there
And don’t you dare let it drip before it get in the oil
Or it aint coated properly
And you aint aiming for a brown like yo mama’s ass, you want it to be golden like the sunshine
That’s right honey
What Temperature is best for my deep fat fryer? I recommend deep fried bountys and for severe “sacrilege” try with cadburys cream eggs at easter – its mental.
While in Singapore they had an outlet there that cut the mars bar into 3 sections and coated with “tempura Batter” so it was slightly cleaner and lighter and they served the 3 pieces in a bowl with chocolate ice cream – i prefer this approach
how damn hot should the damn deep fryer be set at god dammit?