If you ever ate dinner at a Chinese restaurant with my family, the one dish you will always find at the dinner table is walnut shrimp. It is a classic dish served during special occasions including birthdays, holidays, and weddings. Walnut shrimp is my dad’s favorite dish so we can always count on him ordering the dish. Whenever my family goes to a Chinese restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, each member of our family gets to pick a dish for dinner. I almost always choose either Yang Chow fried rice or Beef chow fun. My brothers tend to pick a variation of beef or lamb. My sister-in-law goes for a form of sweet and sour chicken. My mom and aunt almost always order some type of vegetable dish. Kevin doesn’t usually have a preference. This leaves my dad with the final selection, which is typically walnut shrimp. Walnut shrimp is one of those dishes where you are almost guaranteed to see listed as an option on a Chinese restaurant’s dinner menu. The shrimp is coated in a crispy batter, drenched in a mayonnaise sauce, and served over a bed of broccoli and walnuts. It’s a dish very close to my heart because of how nostalgic it is. My family and I ate a lot of walnut shrimp throughout my childhood and continues to order it now that I’m an adult. Walnut shrimp is a dish I often associate with happy memories of laughter, family, and togetherness. Shrimp is also my favorite protein. If I could only live on one protein for the rest of my life, I would probably choose shrimp. Now that I think about it, many of my favorite dishes have shrimp in them including har cheung, har gow, and Yang Chow fried rice. Even Kevin, who is not a fan of seafood, enjoys eating walnut shrimp. This is how I know this dish is a keeper. I’ve simplified the walnut shrimp dish quite a bit in my version while still maintaining many of the flavors in the classic version.
Walnut Shrimp
· 1 cup vegetable oil
· 15-20 large shrimps, deveined and shells removed
For the frying batter:
· 1 cup cornstarch
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon white pepper powder
· 2 large eggs, lightly whisked
For the sweetened walnuts:
· ¼ cup walnuts
· 1½-2 tablespoons fine sugar
· 1½-2 tablespoons water
For the rest of the dish:
· 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
· 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
· 1 broccoli crown, ends removed and cut into smaller florets
For the mayonnaise sauce:
· ¼ cup mayonnaise
· ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
1) Heat a Dutch oven on medium heat. Add the cup of vegetable oil. Let the vegetable oil heat up before frying the shrimp. The oil is ready when you see waves form in the oil.
2) While the oil is heating up, prepare the frying batter by setting up two shallow bowls. In the first bowl, add the cornstarch, salt, and white pepper. In the second bowl, add the lightly whisked eggs.
3) Use tongs (or chopsticks) to pick up one piece of shrimp. Dip the shrimp in the first bowl and coat with the cornstarch mixture. Dip the shrimp in the second bowl and coat with the whisked eggs. Dip the shrimp back in the first bowl and coat with more of the cornstarch mixture. Continue this process with the rest of the shrimps.
4) Fry the shrimps in the Dutch oven pot one at a time for about 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Rest fried shrimps on a plate lined with paper towels.
5) Fry the walnuts in the oil for 30 seconds and remove to another plate. If you like your walnuts more toasted, you can fry for an additional 10-30 seconds.
6) Heat a small pot on medium heat. Add the sugar and water and cook until the simple syrup starts to reduce. Toss the walnuts in the simple syrup.
7) Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the thinly sliced garlic. Let the oil infuse with the garlic for 10-20 seconds. Add the broccoli florets and let cook until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.
8) In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and condensed milk. Stir until sauce is smooth.
9) Assemble the broccoli, walnuts, and shrimp on a plate. Brush the mayonnaise sauce onto the shrimp. Serve.
Takeaways: To assemble the dish like in a Chinese restaurant, layer the broccoli florets around a circle on a plate. Add the walnuts and shrimp to the center of the plate. Most restaurants toss the shrimp in the mayonnaise sauce. I prefer to brush on the mayonnaise sauce for a slightly lighter option.