Shrimp with Orange Sauce

I was in the mood for Asian tonight.  (Actually, my husband had been hinting he was in the mood for it!)  My original plan was to make orange chicken, but again the $5 for 25 shrimp at my local Stop & Shop caught my eye!  It’s cheaper than chicken and less points on Weight Watchers!

There are a few steps to the recipe, so it’s not the simplest one I’ve posted.  First, you have to make the coating for the shrimp, coat it, cook it.  Then, you will make the orange sauce and a cornstarch mixture.  You’ll then heat up the sauce, add the shrimp, and thicken the sauce.  Don’t forget, you’ll need to make rice too!  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not trying to scare anyone.  This is by no means an advanced recipe that requires any professional skill.  However, it is a tedious recipe that requires quite a few ingredients (most of which you probably already have in your pantry) and leaves a good amount of dishes to be washed:

The end-result is delicious though, so it is totally worth it!

Start with the coating for the shrimp:

• In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon vegetable oil with 1 egg.
• Season with some s&p.

• Mix well.

• In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup of cornstarch with 1/2 cup of flour.

• Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk together.

• Add the shrimp to the mixture and toss to coat.  (I decided to remove the tails from my shrimp before adding them to the mixture.)

Now you can cook the shrimp:

• Heat a medium saucepan over high heat.
• Add about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil.

• Once the oil is hot, add the shrimp and stir fry until golden brown.  (DO NOT overcrowd the pan – work in batches!  Be careful though because each batch will cook faster than the previous as the pan gets hotter.)

• Once cooked, remove the shrimp using a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with a paper towel.  (You are now done with that saucepan so you can turn off the heat.)

Make the orange sauce: (You can try to do this while the shrimp are cooking.  Just be careful not to forget about them!)

• In a bowl, combine 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce, 1.5 tablespoons water, 5 tablespoons sugar, 5 tablespoons white vinegar, and the zest of 1 orange.  (I added a little juice from the orange as well.)

• Set the sauce aside.
• In another small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1/4 cup water.
• Whisk well.  (This is the thickening agent for the sauce.)

Now put it all together:

• Heat a wok or another pan over medium heat.
• Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
• When the oil is hot, add 4 cloves of garlic (minced) and 2 tablespoons of fresh ginger (also minced).

• Sauté until fragrant, about 15 seconds.  (Be careful not to burn the garlic or ginger!)
• Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you like it) and about 1/4 cup of chopped scallions.  (Use both the green and white parts – don’t waste anything but the tips!)

• Sauté for about 30 more seconds, then add 1 tablespoon of rice wine.

• Stir, then add the reserved orange sauce.  (Stir before adding.)

• Bring to a boil.
• Add the shrimp, and stir to coat evenly.

• Add the cornstarch mixture.  (Again, stir before adding.)

• Cook, while stirring, until the sauce thickens (about 1 more minute).

• Add a 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil.

Serve with rice.  (I used brown rice.  It was Boil-in-a-Bag.  I am ashamed, but I am out of rice and haven’t gotten to H-Mart!)

The actual cooking process is pretty cook.  It’s just the prep that takes a little.  Like I said before, there are a lot of ingredients.  I would group the ingredients by part (notice the first picture for each part of the recipe) and line them all up in the order they will be used.  This will keep you more organized.  I would also have the garlic, ginger, and scallions ready to go before starting to cook:

Enjoy!