After a long holiday, it's tough to get back in the routine. Jet lag was one thing that really had me worried. Every time I traveled back from India, I used to sleep the whole day like a log and it used to go on for at least a week! This time, my body adjusted with the time zone so quickly that it shocked me. I had no jet lag!
The last 2 months were anything but relaxing. We saw lots of new places, visited our relatives, ate out and then of course, the shopping! We spent the days running around, managing some sleep at night but it was FUN 🙂 I shared some photos from our trip in the last post and will tell you more about it in my future posts. Stay tuned for that. Now, lets enjoy some oranges.
These golden beauties are everywhere in the market. Fresh and juicy, they call out your name every time you pass by. There is no way you can ignore them. So, I picked some too! The idea was to either eat it plain or in a salad. Then the other day, as I was thinking about how to cook the shrimp, I started wondering about how they would taste with these oranges. May be as an appetizer or a side!
Arvind didn't like the idea much. He likes orange chicken, but orange shrimp?
I anyway went ahead and gave it a try. The sauce came out really delicious. In fact, when I tasted the sauce, it clicked me that it could be used as a dipping sauce too. It was tangy with the right amount of heat.
The sauce can be prepared in advance and saved for few days in the refrigerator. You can serve the dish as an appetizer or a side and adjust the amount of sauce accordingly.
Orange Shrimp – spicy, tangy and ready in minutes!
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2 cups of fresh orange juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 inch ginger (grated)
- 3 cloves garlic (grated)
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 1-½ tablespoon corn flour
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbs sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- salt
- pepper
For the fried shrimp
- ½ lb shrimp (skin and head discarded, tail retained)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
- salt
- pepper
- oil for frying
Other ingredients
- 1 medium onion (sliced)
- few fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
Start with the sauce
- Heat oil in a sauce pan and saute the grated garlic and ginger.
- Pour orange juice in the pan and give it a mix.
- Add lemon juice, lemon zest, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, cayenne powder and season it with salt and pepper.
- Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Mix corn flour with the water and pour it in the sauce pan. This will thicken the sauce.
- Add sugar and keep stirring for another few minutes.
- Check for salt and add more, if needed.
- Switch off the heat and keep the sauce aside.
Fry the shrimps
- Clean the shrimp and pat dry it with a kitchen towel or tissue paper.
- In a plate, mix flour with rest of the ingredients except shrimp and oil.
- Drop the shrimps on the plate and mix it with the flour.
- Heat enough oil in a wok to deep fry the shrimps. If you want to avoid deep frying, you could always pan fry it with less oil.
- Remove the shrimps from the flour mix and drop it carefully in the hot oil.
- Fry them till they are golden brown. It should take about 4 to 5 minutes. Avoid crowding the pan by dropping too many shrimps at a time.
- Once done, keep the shrimps in a kitchen towel or tissue paper to remove the excess oil.
For the final plating
- In a separate pan, heat some oil and saute the onions till they are golden brown in color.
- Put the shrimp and mix it properly with the onions.
- Pour the sauce in the pan and give it a good mix. You may add all the sauce or some of it, depending on how you wish to serve it. I kept some sauce aside to add it later, if needed.
- Add ½ cup water and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Garnish it with some fresh cilantro leaves and serve it hot.
Nutrition
kale @ tastes good to me!
Your photos are really beautiful!
Pia
Oh, without a doubt, this will HAVE to be made! Love the combinations, Kankana. And the photograph of the single peeled orange. Gorgeous!
Ananda Rajashekar
Oh what can a shrimp lover say, utterly delicious, cayenne powder would give the right kick to the tanginess and sweetness of oranges, oh they are so pretty with those green leaves, row of fresh is such a treat to eyes for fresh start! and i'm jealous of your little pot there so beautiful. 🙂
Amrita
This is a lovely recipe and the sauce sounds absolutely divine!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
I love orange chicken so i know this shrimp variety would taste as delish 😀
Sukanya
I am too a fan of orange chicken and with shrimp it looks fabulous. Orange photo pics are simply beautiful.
Amina
Hi... first time here... your recipes are fabulous with amazing photos... Orange shrimp looks delicious... I am your newest follower...
Nash at plateful
Glad you had a smashing vacation, but you were really missed out here! I'm so loving the sound of this orange sauce. I want to make it and pair it with pasta. Happy New Year, my friend!
sig
Love that sauce! I am not normally fond of orange chicken that we get in the Chinese restaurants around here, but this sauce sounds like something I would love! Love your pictures, Kankana, keep up the great work!