Ingredients
1 lb raw shrimp
1/2 egg white, beaten
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt to
4 cup oil, for deep frying
1 green onions, for garnish
SWEET AND PUNGENT SAUCE
4 1/2 tbsp sugar
4 1/2 tbsp catsup
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sherry
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp minced fresh ginger root
1 tbsp chopped green onion
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp orange zest
Directions
A reader who requested the recipe for a sweet and pungent shrimp from
the Panda Inn in Pasadena won the everlasting thanks of our tasting
panel. Because it's as impossible to eat just one of these as it is
to eat a single kernel of popcorn, the recipe is often called Chinese
popcorn.
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Peel and devein the shrimp. Slice in halves lengthwise. Rinse well
and pat dry. Add the egg white to the shrimp and mix well. Mix
1-1/2tablespoons cornstarch with salt and add to shrimp. Stir to coat
well. Add 1-1/2 tablespoons oil and mix well again. Place the shrimp
in a bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours.Remove the shrimp and dust
with remaining cornstarch. Shrimp should be dry to the touch. Heat
the remaining oil in a large wok to 350 to 375 degrees. Fry the
shrimp 1-1/2 to 2 minutes until crisp, being careful to separate them
with a long- handled wooden spoon or chopsticks to prevent sticking.
It may be necessary to fry the shrimp in several batches. When done,
remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and drain well. Combine the
shrimp and the sweet and pungent sauce and toss quickly to coat.
Immediately turn out onto a platter and sprinkle with finely chopped
green onions.
SWEET AND PUNGENT SAUCE: Combine the sugar, catsup, vinegar, and
salt, and set aside. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the garlic, ginger,
green onion, red pepper, and zests of lemon and orange; cook 30
seconds. Stir in the sugar-catsup mixture. Immediately add the
sherry mixture and cook until slightly thickened.
Servings: 4 servings
Chinese Popcorn Shrimp (Sweet & Pungent Shrim Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Appetizer; Asian; Chinese; Fish; Seafood
The History of Recipes
Historians have proved the existance of recipes far back into the distant past, at least as far back as ancient Egypt, and maybe further still. Having said that, mostly, these old cook books were just primitive hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for food preparation.
Interestingly, the oldest recipe in existence, according to academics is a collection of tablets in the Sumerian language which describe the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making those who drank it feel wonderful and blissful. During Roman times around 25BC a roman called Apicius created a collection of scripts detailing recipes enjoyed by his fellow Romans. He tells us how the roman meals were divided into starters, main meal and dessert, something that is very familiar to us today. Aspicius also informs us how the Romans made use of a wide range of spices, including many that are still in use today for example thyme, mint and parsley. In the fifteenth century, people returning from the crusades brought us a variety of foods and herbs from Arab cooking, including basil and coriander. These new culinary innovations was responsible for an explosion in recipe manuscripts, some of which still exist in private collections. During the succeeding few hundred years, the upper classes competed to serve up the most exotic meals, and as a consequence, the best cooks and their recipe collections were much in demand. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 19th century that haute cuisine and recipe publications became really popular. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, testing, and recording recipes common in their social group. Like it or not, the introduction of television gave us TV cooks and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which pretty much brings us to the present day and the invention of the internet, permitting everyone to search through massive numbers of recipes just like those on this recipe site. |
We hope you enjoy this Chinese Popcorn Shrimp (Sweet & Pungent Shrim recipe.
