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Honey Walnut Shrimp
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Honey walnut shrimp is commonly found on Chinese American menus. While it was created to appease the American pallete, it is nothing short of tasty. It is also really easy to make at home and will cost you half the price. Serve the shrimp as an appetizer or main course.
Equipment
- electric beater
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 lb 26/30 ct. shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Bring the sugar and water to a boil.
- Add in the walnuts. Boil for 3 minutes.
- Place the walnuts in a single layer on parchment paper to cool.
- Using an electric beater, beat the egg whites until frothy.
- Mix in the cornstarch.
- Dip the shrimp in the batter.
- Heat up 1/2” of vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Fry the shrimp for 1-2 minutes a side.
- Drain the grease on a rack.
- Mix the mayonnaise, honey, and sweetened condensed milk together.
Tiger Salad
Tiger Salad
While you probably will never see something like tiger salad on a Chinese menu in America, this type of salad is a staple in Northern Chinese cuisine. Served cold, tiger salad adds a balance to hot dishes. The salad has 5 ingredients and a simple rice vinegar based dressing. It has a refreshing taste with hints of sweet, sour, spicy, and umami.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 large anaheim chili thinly sliced
- 1 english cucumber julienned
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1-2 red Thai chilies finely chopped
Dressing
- 1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix all of the dressing ingredients together.
- Toss the dressing with the cilantro, chilies, cucumber, and green onions.
Smoked Orange Five Spice Chicken
Smoked Orange Five Spice Chicken
Orange and five spice is a popular combination to rub and roast whole geese during the holidays. I decided to change it up and do it to a chicken. But I also brined and smoked the chicken. Before the chicken gets smoked, it is stuffed with orange wedges, garlic, ginger, and green onions. These aromatics will permeate throughout the chicken; adding to the multiple layers of flavor.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb whole chicken
- 1 orange quartered
- 1” ginger sliced
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 green onions
Brine
- 1/2 gallon water
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 shallots sliced
- 5 garlic cloves sliced
- 1” ginger sliced
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
Rub
- zest of an orange
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp five spice powder
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 4 garlic cloves minced
Wood Chips
- 1/2 pecan
- 1/2 cherrywood
Garnish
- orange slices
Instructions
- Mix together all of the brining ingredients. Brine the chicken for 8 hours in a gallon sized storage bag.
- Mix together the rub ingredients.
- Stuff the inside of the cavity with the quartered orange, garlic, ginger, and green onions. Massage the outside with the rub. Let rest at room temperature for an hour before smoking.
- Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees. A 4lb chicken will take about 3 hours. A 5lb chicken will take 4 hours. Take the temp in the thickest part of the thigh with a probe thermometer. It should read 180 degrees.
- Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving.
