Honey walnut shrimps

Anyone who are familiar with Chinese food would probably know how divine and addicting this dish tastes. On our recent trip to Northern Cal, we visited Chinatown in San Francisco and ordered this dish at a very authentic restaurant. The shrimps were absolutely succulent and fresh. The creamy, crunchy texture of the shrimps paired perfectly and harmoniously with the candied walnuts. It was utterly addicting and sinful. 

Now that we are back at home, I want to recreate the dish that I have forgotten for quite sometimes now. It must have been years since the last time I made this gourmet dish. I have also seen it being prepared with cashew nuts, either way it's equally delicious!

However, I must warn those who are or going to be on a diet, you probably have to refrain yourself from eating these regularly.  Obviously, because as exquisite as it tastes, it is loaded with calories and cholesterol. So indulge it once in a while, or save it for special occasion only. But after all, it's worth the sacrifice!

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb of jumbo shrimps (peeled and deveined)

2. 1 large egg white

3. 1/2 cup of corn starch

4. 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp mushroom seasoning

5. 3 tbsp mayonnaise

6. 1 tbsp honey

7. 1 tbsp condensed milk

8. 1 tsp of lime or lemon juice

9. Candied walnut (recipe below)

10. cooking oil

Clean the shrimps and pat dry in paper towels. Combine the shrimps with salt, mushroom seasoning, egg white and coated with corn starch. Heat the oil on medium-high heat, add the shrimps and deep fry until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes). Once the shrimps are done, remove and drain on paper towels.

Mix mayonnaise, honey, condensed milk, lemon juice in a small bowl and beat to combine with a spoon. Toss the shrimps with the mayo sauce, sprinkle with candied walnuts and serve immediately.

Candied walnuts:

1/2 cup of whole walnuts

3 tbsp of sugar

1/3 cup of water

cooking oil

Combine walnuts, sugar and water in a small sauce pan. Bring to boil and simmer until most the water has evaporated. Once the liquid has thicken and turned to light amber color, remove the pan from heat. Scoop out the walnuts and deep fry them for 2 minutes or until crispy in oil on medium heat. To cut down the fat in this step, you can also bake walnuts in the oven at 350F for 15 minutes (turn every 5 min) until crispy.