Sesame Orange Shrimp 橙汁芝香虾球

Revealing... the four seasons Chinese cold platter 冷盘! Well this is not a post particularly highlighting the platter itself, but I thought I could just make this a little continuation to the previous post on Scrambled Egg with Glass Noodles 粉丝炒蛋. The idea of making this Sesame Orange Shrimp 橙汁芝香虾球 a part of the huge platter came from Wendy at Table For 2..... or More, pretty much a love at first sight thingy really. A dish with an orange hue so pretty, the whole dish is made simply appealing with how well tangy pairs with sweetness, and the idea of fresh and springy shrimps fried to a perfect crisp.

This recipe is a crossover between two different recipes; the sweet sauce with a tad of tartness is a creation of Wendy herself; the crunchy coating is one I adapted from Bon Appétit magazine of the recent March 2013 issue in the recipe for Parmesan Chicken Cutlet by Jenny Rosentrach and Andy Ward.

My first attempt at making this was done solely based on Wendy's recipe - both its batter and of course, the sauce itself. And that was exactly what went up onto the cold platter 冷盘 that very day of my self-declared huge home project. The shrimps really did shine. The only setback would be the crunch that came with a relatively short half life. But that could be totally a personal case of mine, considering the fact that I had to juggle between making this dish and some other four different dishes for the platter, all within the same few hours. But it went well all in all; we had a big feast that night and the platter was wiped cleaned nevertheless. lol.

When the Bon Appétit magazine reached my doorstep sometime two weeks ago, the attraction to the crunch portrayed in the featured breaded chicken was almost an instantaneous one to me. Took me no time to get it bookmarked! lol. And have I ever mentioned anywhere that hubby makes a superb chef at home? Oh yes he does! A couple more days later, he made it a point to make his renowned spaghetti carbonara with this parmesan chicken cutlet on our date at home. WOW! The crunch was simply amazing!

hubby's renowned spaghetti carbonara... DELIZIOSO!

Well to cut a long story short, that was how the idea of matching the two recipes came about. Sealing in the moist and sweetness natures of the shrimps, the flour-egg-breadcrumb coating creates a perfectly satisfying crunch to the dish. A different batter, a different mouthfeel, same great satisfaction!

And now back to the four seasons Chinese cold platter 冷盘; it's pretty much a compilation of some different dishes that have been featured at one point or another in the blog, only each prepared in a cut-down portion size to fit the platter. They can be anything really; deciding on what goes onto the plate is almost like an art of pairing, mix and matching itself. And here's the version that we had for our first Chinese New Year reunion dinner celebrated here at home just about a month ago.

In no particular sequence, they are...

• the treasure in a ring - Crispy Yam Ring with Kung Pao Chicken 佛砵宫保雞丁;
• the ultimate classic finger food - Hokkien Spring Rolls 福建春卷;
• the humble yet elegant duo - Scrambled Egg with Glass Noodles 粉丝炒蛋;
• the green blossom - Braised Bean Curd Skin Packets with Mushrooms and Broccoli 香菇西兰花焖豆包;
• and last but not least... this springy fresh shrimps packed with a crunch - Sesame Orange Shrimp 橙汁芝香虾球!  

Sesame Orange Shrimp 橙汁芝香虾球  
Serves 2-3
2/3lbs shrimps, shelled and deveined
toasted sesame seeds
8 tbsps cooking oil

Shrimp marinade
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper powder
1/2 tsp Shaoxing wine
a pinch of sugar

Batter
Adapted from the recipe by Jenny Rosentrach and Andy Ward
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
a pinch of salt
a dash or two of white pepper powder

Orange gravy
Adapted from Table For 2..... or More
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp orange zest
75ml fresh orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp corn starch dissolved in 1 tbsp water for thickening

1. Marinate the shrimps with the marinade. Cover and leave chilled in the refrigerator for about an hour prior to cooking.
2. Mix the fresh orange juice, lemon juice, sugar and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Sift in the flour with salt and pepper onto a shallow bowl or a plate. Beat eggs in a second shallow bowl. Place the breadcrumbs in a third shallow bowl.

4. Working with a shrimp at a time, dredge the shrimp in flour, shaking off any excess.
5. Transfer to the bowl with beaten egg and coat thoroughly with the egg.
6. Lift and let the excess drip off for a couple of seconds before transferring to the bowl with breadcrumbs. Coat evenly. Transfer to a clean and dry plate. Repeat with the rest of the shrimps.
7. Heat a heavy skillet with 6 tbsps of cooking oil over medium-high heat. Make sure that the oil is well heated prior to frying. Working in batches, cook the shrimps, adding in the remaining 2 tbsps of cooking oil into the pan between batches. Transfer the shrimps into the skillet, leaving a little space in between the shrimps. Leave to pan fry until golden brown, about a minute or so per side. Transfer the shrimps to a plate lined with paper towels.
8. Drain and wipe the skillet, leaving it just lightly oiled over medium-low heat. Bring in the grated ginger and orange zest and sauté briefly until fragrant. Pour in the orange juice mixture in (2) and bring to boil. Thicken lightly with the corn starch slurry.
9. Return the shrimps into the skillet and give it a quick toss.

10. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and serve hot.