Honey Walnut Shrimp

Honey walnut shrimp is my favorite Chinese dish ever, and is in my opinion, the best Chinese dish ever.  When I was younger and my family went out for Chinese food, we always ordered it, and there were never any leftovers to take home.  I had never even thought to make it at home until I saw it on my friend Daisy’s blog, and I was delighted by how easy it was to make.  I made a few changes to mine, but basically the walnuts are cooked in a honey caramel until they are caramelized and crisp, and the shrimp are battered in a light egg white rice flour batter, and quickly deep fried until puffed and crispy.  If you’ve never tried this dish, you must try it (you’ll thank me later).  Here’s how to make it:

Yield: Serves 3-4…but if I’m there, maybe only 1

Ingredients:
1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 egg whites, whipped until foamy
1/4 cup mochiko rice flour
steamed rice, for serving
chopped scallions, for garnish

Directions:
Combine the water, sugar, honey, and walnuts in a heavy bottomed saucepan.  Bring to a boil, and watch very carefully as the mixture first dissolves the sugar, and then starts to caramelize.  This will go from perfect to burned very quickly, so keep an eye on it, and also keep in mind that you want to pull it a few moments before it’s actually done, since it continues to cook after you take the pan off the heat.

Remove the walnuts from the pan with a slotted spoon, and place on parchment paper to harden.

Whisk to combine the mayonnaise, heavy cream, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Preheat a deep fryer to 350 degrees F.

Combine the whipped egg whites and rice flour, and whisk until it forms a smooth paste.

Season all the shrimp on both sides with salt and pepper, then dip it into the batter.  Deep fry in batches for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel, then toss in the cream sauce.  Add the caramelized walnuts to the mix, and serve the dish with some steamed rice.  Enjoy!

Click here for the printable recipe.

Recipe adapted from Daisy’s World.