Honey Walnut Shrimp

This dish has always been a favorite treat of mine and probably a lot of kids growing up.  When my family would have those extended family dinners, I'd be sure to request this dish hoping that my parents would order it.  Since the past HK style dishes came out well, my friend and I decided to meet up to make this childhood favorite.  The recipe I've written here is based on a recipe on allrecipes.com but the tweaks in there are all mine.  This dish is fun and easy to make, and pretty close to the original; but most definitely cheaper than the dish from the restaurants.  Hope you all have as much fun making it as I did.  Please enjoy this recipe.  Cook. Eat. Love. Smile. 

04.06.12: Honey Walnut Shrimp
Photo Credit: Catherine Wong

Honey Walnut Shrimp

10-15 (approx) large shrimps, peeled and deveined

8 oz package of walnuts

1 ½ cups of corn starch

4 egg whites

¼ cup of mayonnaise

3 tbsp of condensed milk

3 tbsp of honey

1 cup of oil for frying

Prep-Work:

1.     Whip the egg whites until foamy

2.     Make the batter by combining the cornstarch and egg whites until a pasty consistency

3.     Allow the batter to rest for about 15 minutes. 

4.     Make the sauce by combining the mayonnaise and the condensed milk in a separate bowl, the sauce should be a very smooth consistency without lumps from the mayonaise

5.     Line a sheet tray with foil and place the walnuts in a single layer on the foil

6.     Then drizzle the honey and evenly coat all the walnuts  

7.     Place it in the oven at 375 F and occasionally stir the walnuts to cook evenly

Procedure:

1.     Place the oil into a pot and bring to 350 degrees

2.     Dry the shrimps and dip into the batter

3.     Then place the shrimp into the hot oil in batches to avoid dropping the temperature

4.     When lightly golden brown, retrieve the shrimp and place on a paper towel

5.     Fry all the shrimps

6.     Then place the shrimp into a bowl with as much of sauce as wanted and ¾ of all the walnuts, and toss evenly so that all the shrimp and walnuts have sauce

7.     Then plate and serve with the rest of the walnuts sprinkled on top.  

Hong Kong Style Spaghetti Bolognese

If you ask anyone whom I've talked about food to, then it is more than likely I have mentioned my favorite dish at my all time favorite restaurant.  It's hong kong style spaghetti bolognese from R.H. Garden Cafe in Rowland Heights.  This dish that I order all the time since I was literally 5 years old, is not just confined to that restaurant but I definitely use it as a gauge to rank my favorite hong kong style cafes.  I'd like to call myself a connoisseur of this dish, but I guess that's pushing the obsession a bit.  Now I have tried to imitate this dish countless times, but there's always something I feel like that's missing and I dont know what.  However, this recipe is very close to my favorite dish, very sweet and ketchup-y unlike the traditional Italian Spaghetti Bolognese.  It wont ever be able to replace the dish from actual Hong Kong cafes, but rather it's used as a simple to make, tasty dish, to satisfy my persistent cravings when I can't have it when I'm at school.  Please enjoy this recipe.  Cook. Eat. Love. Smile.

04.03.12: Hong Kong Style Spaghetti Bolognese

Hong Kong Style Spaghetti Bolognese

1 lb of ground beef

1 lb of spaghetti

½ large onion

1 carrot

~5 large button mushrooms

4 large cloves of garlic

1 can of diced tomatoes

½ can of tomato paste

½ jar of favorite spaghetti sauce

1 ½ cups of ketchup

1 cup of shredded cheese

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp of soy sauce

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp cream cheese

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp of red pepper flakes

Prep-work:

1.     Mince very finely the carrots, garlic, mushroom. 

2.     Finely dice the onion

Procedure:

1.     Heat a large pan with medium high heat. 

2.     Take a large stock pot and boil water for the pasta

3.     When the pan is hot enough, add a 3 tbsp of olive oil and sauté the carrots, onions, and mushrooms until soft

4.     Then add the garlic and cook until fragrant

5.     Add the ground beef and cook until almost cooked all the way

6.     If the water in the stockpot has come to a boil, add the pasta and cook until well done. 

7.     Then add the spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste and stir to combine well

8.     Add the ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire, and cream cheese

9.     Add the brown sugar, honey, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes

10. Then add the pasta into the creamy sauce and combine well

11. Add onto a baking pan (line with foil for easy cleanup) and then top with at least a cup of shredded cheese (a little more couldn’t hurt)

12. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top

13. Serve hot and fresh out of the oven.