Sesame Orange Shrimp

Finally!  A new recipe to post!

It's not that I haven't been cooking--if you look at my Menu Monday posts, you'll see that is far from the case.

I've simply not been trying out new recipes.

I think it was a mental side-effect of adjusting to being home full-time.

Well, now that I've adjusted fairly well (most days, when I'm not overly emotional or going through old teacher stuff), I've rediscovered my joy in trying a new recipe for the first time!

I love how a first attempt at a new recipe consumes my mental energy and focus.

I love seeing all of the ingredients combine and synthesize into something tasty.

And I especially love not screwing it up!

Which brings me to my new recipe--Sesame Orange Chicken!

This one came from EatingWell.com.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds (white, black or a mix)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp (21-25 per pound)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup dry cooking sherry
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced (fyi "scallion" is another word for "green onion")

The very first step is to thaw the shrimp.  If you have the time, overnight in the fridge is the best way.  If, like me, you always forget to put them in the fridge, putting them on a paper towel and running them under COLD water for five minutes.

The secondary steps are to measure out the sesame seeds, corn starch, salt and pepper into a medium mixing bowl.  Use a bowl that has a lid available.

Next, crack the first egg in half and transfer the yolk in between the shell halves, allowing the egg white to fall into the bowl.  Repeat with the second egg.

Now, wisk everything together and then put the thawed shrimp into the bowl as well.

Place the lid on the mixing bowl and flip the bowl several times to thoroughly coat the shrimps in the mixture.

Now, heat up the first Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet on medium-low heat.

Make sure you don't overheat the oil like I did--otherwise it splatters when you add the shrimp and then you have a whole other mess to clean up!

Once the oil is heated, add half of the shrimp.

Cook the shrimp for about 1-2 minutes on each side (maybe a bit longer is you're on low heat).

The batter will turn a nice light brown, and the shrimp will be opaque when they're done.

Place this first batch on a paper towel-layered plate to drain the oil.

Next add the second Tablespoon of oil to the pan, let it heat, and add the rest of the shrimp for another 1-2 minutes a side.

Once the second batch of shrimp is done, add them to the others on the paper towel plate.

Turn the heat on the pan down to low and then add the orange juice.

Immediately add the cooking sherry, the soy sauce, and the sugar to the pan.

(The original recipe calls for low-sodium sherry and soy sauce options, but I didn't go that route.)

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Let the mixture thicken slightly and reduce by approximately half--this takes about 4-6 minutes.

While the sauce was cooking, I went ahead and microwaved the Uncle Ben's Jasmine 90 second rice I was going to serve under the shrimp.  I then put it in a lidded container to keep warm.

Next, I put in the StemFresh Asian Medley veggies into the microwave for 5 minutes.  They finished right before the sauce and went into their own "keep hot" bowl with lid.

Once the sauce has reduced, add all the shrimp back into the pan.

Stir them to coat them thoroughly in the sauce.

Once that was done, I immediately served the shrimp out on top of the rice so that they didn't get soggy.

I added a couple of extra spoonfulls of sauce on top, and put the veggies next to it.

This was a super-easy meal and quick too--the whole process only took 30 minutes!

Bryan loved these shrimp!  

He was very impressed with my cooking skills, which made me happy.

Even better, I was impressed with how these turned out!

They will definitely become a regular entry on our menu!