Alright – enough about Valentine’s Day and Chocolate. I promise I’ll stop talking about it til next week! For now – I want to share one of my favorite traditional Chinese recipes with you.
Some people may think Honey Walnut Shrimp is just a pile of fried shrimp, slathered in a clump of mayo – and to some chinese restaurants it is – but it really isn’t. First of all – the sauce should be sweet, and slightly tangy – none of which you could say about a spoonful of mayonnaise by itself. Secondly – yes, the shrimp is fried first, but the batter should be thin enough for the shrimp to shine through, and hold on to an even coating of the sauce – not hidden under a thick layer of fried dough, and a mouthful of cream!
After testing this recipe over a dozen times on a few Walnut Shrimp fanatics – this is my perfected recipe for Honey Walnut Shrimp. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Dressing
- 2 tbsp condensed milk
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
Walnuts
- 1/2 cup walnut halves
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
Shrimp
- 1 lb. large shrimp (cleaned, deveined and butterflied)
- 1/2 cup of egg whites
- 1/2 cup of cornstarch
- canola oil
- Mix together the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl. Set aside.
- Boil the sugar, water, and walnuts in a small pot.
- Strain the walnuts, and spread them out on a paper towel. Set aside.
- Heat a deep pot, half-filled with canola oil.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the egg whites and cornstarch. (It will be thick at first, but keep mixing until it aerates and thins out.)
- Place a paper towel /wire rack over a dish and set it near the pot to drain the oil from the shrimp after they are fried.
- Coat the shrimp with the egg whites / cornstarch mixture.
- One by one, drop them into the oil to deep fry for about 1-2 minutes, or until light golden brown.
- Place the shrimp on top of the wire rack to cool off and drain.
- Repeat steps 7-9 until every shrimp is done.
- Place the shrimp into a large bowl, and coat with the dressing made in step #1.
- Place the shrimp on a serving platter, and sprinkle the walnuts around or on top of the shrimp.
- Enjoy with rice or steamed broccoli!
Good luck! 🙂