Pf Chang's Shrimp With Candied Walnuts Recipe

Submitted by Sarah the Chef

"A very close copy-cat of the restaurant's version. I've seen 3 variations of recipes for this dish on the internet. 1 tasted like mayo (YUCK), 1 was WAY too sweet, the other did not provide enough sauce and had too much of the spices. This seems to be a close as you can possibly get."

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photo by SharonChen

Ready In:: 1hr
Ingredients:: 18
Serves:: 4

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ingredients

The Walnuts
¹⁄₂ cup water
¹⁄₂ cup brown sugar
1 cup walnuts
The Sauce
¹⁄₂ cup coconut milk
¹⁄₄ cup rice syrup
1 tablespoon mayonnaise, slightly heaping
1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons rice vinegar
¹⁄₈ teaspoon turmeric (maybe a dash more)
1 dash celery salt (do NOT put in very much)
1 dash powdered ginger
The Shrimp
1 lb shrimp, de-veined and shelled
2 egg whites
³⁄₄ cup all-purpose flour
¹⁄₄ cup cornstarch
salt and pepper to season the flour, to taste or cornstarch, dredge with to taste
1 cup oil (for frying)
The Finishing Touches
1 cup honey dew melon ball (or Cantaloupe if you prefer)
sweetened flaked coconut

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directions

The the walnuts:
Prepare a piece of parchment paper or lightly grease a baking sheet. Set aside.
Combine water and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the walnuts, stirring constantly. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until thickened. Place the walnuts on the parchment paper or baking sheet. Separating them carefully. Allow them to cool fully.
An alternative to this is to simply toss the walnuts in a skillet with some white sugar and heat over medium-high heat, tossing constantly until the sugar is melted and caramelized.
For the sauce:
Whisk this together over a low heat until warm. You want a very pale yellow color, if the color is too pale, add a dash more tumeric. Remove from heat.
The the shrimp:
Clean and dry shrimp well.
Whisk egg whites lightly in a bowl, add the shrimp and coat well.
Combine the flour and cornstarch with some salt and pepper. Dredge the shrimp.
Fry shrimp in hot oil, 3-5 minutes until the breading is golden and the shrimp are pink. Fry only a couple shrimp at a time, transferring to a paper towel to drain. Continue until all the shrimp are cooked.
Toss the shrimp and honey dew and/or cantaloupe melon balls in the warm sauce. Top with candied walnuts and a light sprinkling of coconut. Serve over rice!

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Reviews

I think this recipe is very close to the PF Changs recipe. In fact,I would venture to say that it might just be a bit tastier. There have been times when I have ordered this shrimp at the restaurant and it was overly sweet. This recipe has a perfect balance of creamy and sweet. I felt that the lack of additional seasoning in the flour for the shrimp allowed the sauce to really shine through. I would not change it at all. I rate this recipe a five-- for outstanding flavor and also, for being as close to the restaurant recipe as I believe you can get.

amc1265_4794837
We had this a week ago at PF Chang's and loved it. I was excited to see it online and since I had the ingredients, I decided to make it last night for dinner. It was a real winner. It tasted exactly like PF Chang's. I thought the flour/cornstarch coating was great. My shrimp was very crisp. I fried about six at a time in a medium sized pan. Thank you Sarah for posting it. I give it a five.

8KIDS-MD
My partner loved this.. I used coconut cream instead of milk..and it was so so yummy.. Definately five stars and on the menu again and again.. this would be great at a potluck..I will take it with me to my next one.

nekogoddess

See Also
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I've never had the PF Chang's version of this, so I have no prior knowledge of this recipe, or the flavors involved. First, I think the shrimp themselves could have used some seasoning. They did fry up nicely, but after tossing them with sauce, they lost their crunch. I like crispy shrimp, therefore, I would serve the sauce on the side, next time...The candied walnuts were a nice addition. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Sarah the Chef. Made for Fall PAC 2011.

alligirl
I followed the recipe without any changes and it tasted and looked exactly as PF Chang's dish.

Natalia P.