Chinese Honey Walnut Shrimp Food

HONEY WALNUT SHRIMP

Steps:

• Start by rinsing the walnuts, then boil in water, changing water a couple of times. The goal is to have clear water but it takes way too long. When tired of changing the water add sugar and boil until sugar dissolves. Drain walnuts.
• On high, heat 2 cups oil until almost smoking, lower to medium heat and deep fry walnuts until they're shiny and brown, no longer golden. It takes a little while before they actually burn but keep an eye on them. Place walnuts on cookie sheet, let cool. I make extra because they are delish and I ate quite a few while prepping the shrimp. Keep the oil to cook the shrimp later.
• Mix cornstarch and egg whites together to form a thick, sticky texture. Do not over mix, if too smooth and soupy add some more cornstarch. Add peeled, deveined shrimp and coat well.
• The mix will be a bit runny. This mixture, when fried, will be like a tempura type coating on the shrimp and should be crispy like fried chicken or something like it.
• Next prepare the sauce, by combining the honey, lemon juice, mayonnaise salt, accent, and condensed milk. I found that there's not really a lot of sauce for the shrimp but if you don't want it very saucy this is a good coating. Otherwise increase the amount of honey, lemon juice, mayonnaise and condensed milk; or just add a little more condensed milk if you just want a bit more sauce. The mayonnaise and condensed milk really make the sauce.
• Now it's time to fry up the shrimp. Use the same oil from frying the walnuts but add more oil to make sure you cover the shrimp. Heat the oil up on high and turn down a bit when it starts to smoke. I recommend cooking the shrimp in at least 2 batches to ensure the tempura-like batter cooks and gets crispy. Do not cover as it will steam the batter and shrimp. Drain the shrimp of excess oils. Once done frying the shrimp add to the sauce and coat well. Top off with the walnuts and serve.
• Variation: You can use cut up chicken instead of the shrimp. Deep fry until cooked and crisp.

CHINESE HONEY-WALNUT SHRIMP

Steps:

• Mix egg white and salt together in a bowl; add shrimp and toss to coat evenly. Cover and let shrimp marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add sugar; cook until dissolved, about 1 minute. Add walnuts. Turn heat down to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until syrup thickens and turns into a dark caramel color, 4 to 7 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet. Pour walnuts onto the baking sheet, spacing the pieces apart. Let cool.
• Mix mayonnaise, honey, condensed milk, and lemon juice together in a small bowl for the dressing.
• Drain excess liquid from the shrimp. Place cornstarch in a plastic sandwich bag. Toss shrimp in the cornstarch in batches.
• Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a medium to large pot to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Drop shrimp carefully into the hot oil in batches; fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels to preserve crispiness.
• Serve shrimp with the walnuts and honey dressing.

HONEY WALNUT SHRIMP

Steps:

• Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add the walnuts and bring the water back to a full boil. Boil for 3 minutes. Strain the nuts into a colander and shake off excess water. Transfer the blanched pieces to a paper towel-lined plate in an even layer and let them sit until dry to touch, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk the mayonnaise, condensed milk, pineapple juice, honey, vinegar and a pinch of salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Butterfly the shrimp by laying one flat on a cutting board and using a paring knife to slit them down the back from top to tail, cutting deeply but not all the way through. Press down to open the split shrimp up a bit. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with remaining shrimp. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and set aside.
• Rinse out the saucepan the walnuts blanched in and fill it halfway with water. Season the water generously with salt as you would pasta water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli and blanch until bright green and crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Strain into a colander and shake off excess water. Make a ring using the florets on a serving platter and tuck the stem pieces under the florets. Set aside.
• Fill a wok or Dutch oven with about 2 to 3 inches of canola oil. Place over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer.
• While the oil is heating up, place 1/3 cup water and the sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir until dissolved. Set aside.
• Once the oil reaches 350 degrees F, reduce heat to medium and add the blanched walnuts. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes (don't let them become dark or they will be bitter). Remove with a slotted spoon and place on another paper towel-lined plate and turn the heat off. Sprinkle the walnuts lightly with salt.
• Place a wire rack over a sheet pan. Add the fried walnut pieces to the sugar syrup in the saucepan and stir to coat. Transfer the walnuts with a slotted spoon to the rack and let them dry slightly and set, about 5 minutes.
• Return the oil to medium-high heat and bring back to 350 degrees F. Place the shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch and toss until each shrimp is fully coated. Shake off any excess cornstarch.
• Once the oil is hot, add the shrimp (work in two batches if necessary) and fry until they are orangish-pink and the cornstarch coating is almost translucent, about 3 minutes. (For smaller shrimp, see Cook's Note for cooking times.) When cooked through, the shrimp will float to the surface and the bubbling will begin to subside. Transfer the fried shrimp with a slotted spoon into the bowl with the mayonnaise mixture. Toss until fully coated.
• Place the shrimp in the center of the platter in the broccoli ring. Drizzle any additional sauce over the broccoli florets and shrimp. Scatter candied walnuts around the sides of the plate and on top of the shrimp and broccoli. Serve immediately.