Sesame Orange Shrimp

Are you tired of me blogging about chicken yet? I promise I cook other things other than poultry. Here's an example: Sesame Orange Shrimp! Like the Chinese take-out version of this dish? This is an easy and probably much more healthy version. Pair it with simple rice and veggies or try doing a fried rice. That was Wes's idea. I would've just served plain rice. Bo-oring.

Sesame Orange Shrimp

2 large egg whites

1/4 cup corn starch

1/4 cup sesame seeds

salt & pepper

1 1/2 lb. medium shrimp, deveined and peeled

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup orange juice

2 Tb. soy sauce

1 Tb. sugar

4 scallions

Whisk together egg whites, corn starch, sesame seeds, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper in a bowl. Add shrimp to bowl and toss to coat. I might even cut the egg whites down a little as the batter got to be a bit egg-y. Of course, I only used about 1 pound of shrimp. So maybe if I used more, it wouldn't have been as noticeable.

Heat 1/4 cup of oil in nonstick pan over medium high heat. Cook shrimp until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel to drain. Add more oil if necessary to finish cooking the shrimp.

Wipe skillet with paper towel and add orange juice, soy sauce, and sugar. Boil over high heat until syrupy and reduced to 1/3 cup, about 4 to 5 minutes. Return shrimp to skillet, add scallions and cook until heated through.

Wondering where the scallions are? I left them off since Wes doesn't like onions.

I love the crunchiness of the fried shrimp. And yes, of course, you don't have to batter and fry the shrimp. You can just cook the shrimp as is for a healthier take. Although the bonus to the batter is the sesame seeds. Toasted sesame seeds have this great nutty flavor. I didn't add as much as the recipe called for, so I didn't taste it as much. But don't be afraid to be liberal with the sesame seeds. The sauce is like a sweet and sour type of sauce. It's sweet and a bit tangy and yummy. If you like more of actual sauce, try doubling those ingredients. Otherwise, the amount of sauce is just enough to give the shrimp some coating.

Wes did a great job of pan frying the rice. He good one or two eggs and scrambled them a bit in a pan. Then took the cooked rice and added it to the eggs. He seasoned it with some soy sauce and a few other spices (probably garlic powder, salt and pepper). He added some cooked carrot slices to it also. I roasted some broccoli florets tossed in olive oil in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then I sprinkled some soy sauce and lemon juice over the broccoli.

It was a great Chinese take-out meal made at home. I really like roasting broccoli. It gives it a different dimension and rustic feeling to a vegetable I've usually eaten steamed or in a casserole. You could probably use this sauce with any other meat like chicken or beef if you're not a seafood person.

Do take-out at home with this meal! Enjoy!