Honey Walnut Shrimp

Honey Walnut Shrimp (Simplified Chinese: 核桃虾; Traditional Chinese: 核桃蝦; Pinyin: Hétao xiā; also honey walnut prawns) is a Chinese diaspora banquet and restaurant dish of lightly battered, deep-fried shrimp coated in a sweet mayonnaise-and-honey (or condensed-milk) sauce and finished with candied walnuts. It sits on English menus with Orange Chicken and Beef and Broccoli as a sweet-savory crowd-pleaser rather than as a classical provincial banquet name from one inland province.

Characteristics

Shrimp stay crisp under a creamy-sweet pale sauce; walnuts are crunchy and candy-coated. Color is pale gold rather than red chili glaze. Portions are shared platter style.

Ingredients (overview)

Shrimp, batter (often water-chestnut flour or cornstarch mixes), mayonnaise, honey or condensed milk, candied walnuts, oil. Some Hong Kong banquet kitchens use similar mayo-honey prawn ideas.

History and culture

Popularized in overseas Chinese restaurants and some Hong Kong–style banquet halls in the late twentieth century. Peer diaspora sweet mains include Orange Chicken and Sesame Chicken; savory peers include Beef and Broccoli.

Serving and variations

Banquet or restaurant main with rice. See Orange Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, and Chow Mein.

See also

• Orange Chicken
• Beef and Broccoli
• Chow Mein
• Sesame Chicken
• Lo Mein
• List of dishes (A-Z)