Sweet Chili Mandarin Shrimp

I just created this sweet and spicy dish this evening. It turned out delicious. If you like crispy shrimp glazed in a sweet and spicy, 'citrusy' glaze this is the recipe for you.

Sweet Chili Mandarin Sauce
-3/4 can of Mandarin Oranges (I had an 11 oz can of Mandarin Oranges and used about 3/4 of it-so 8 oz or so)
-2 tbsp of High Fructose Corn Syrup
-1 tsp of Sugar
-2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
-1/2 tsp of Red Pepper Flakes
-1/2 tsp of Chili Powder
-1/4 tsp of Ginger Powder
-1/2 tsp of Garlic Salt
-Extra Salt and Pepper to taste
-2 tbsp of cornstarch (approx.) 


Shrimp Batter
- about 1 lb of peeled, deveined small shrimp
-3/4 cup of cornstarch
-1/4 tsp of salt


How to make Sweet Chili Mandarin Sauce
1.) Pour 3/4 can of Mandarin Oranges into a bowl and smush oranges with a fork (be sure all the juice in the can is poured into the bowl).

2.) Use a medium saucepan on stove top- set heat to medium. Using a tea strainer pour mandarin juice into the pan as pictured below.

                                                Sorry about the mess- I spilled while pouring the juice!
3.) Once all juice is in the sauce pan add about 1-2 Tbsp of the smushed Mandarins to the sauce to add some texture. Bring to a boil and set heat to low.

4.) Add high fructose corn syrup, sugar and soy sauce. Mix everything together with a whisk. 


5.) Add red pepper flakes, ginger powder, garlic salt, chili powder and salt and pepper. (Tip: If you want extra heat add more red pepper flakes- don't be afraid to add more or less of any of these spices to your liking-AND if you have cayenne and want an extra kick add some of that too... I ran out unfortunately!)

6.) Stir all ingredients for about 5 minutes (again make sure heat is on low).


7.) In a small bowl add a couple spoon fulls of the sauce and 1 tbsp of water then mix in 1 tbsp of cornstarch and whisk together. Once the cornstarch is completely dissolved add the mixture back into the sauce pan and whisk everything together for a few more minutes. (Tip: The cornstarch is used to thicken the sauce-if your sauce isn't thick enough then use the same method to add more cornstarch- the sauce should have a honey consistency .)

Here is the finished Sweet chili Mandarin Sauce.


How to fry the shrimp:
1.) Fill large sauce pan 1/4 of the way up with oil and turn heat to medium.
1.) Take the peeled and deveined shrimp and set on a plate.

2.) Pour cornstarch and salt into a bowl and mix with a fork.

***Please ignore the middle bowl- it's egg whites I used on the first batch of shrimp but the shrimp turned out much better without the egg whites so please omit it!*** 

3.) Take shrimp one hand full at a time and drop in bowl of cornstarch, covering shrimp completely. Set on separate clean plate. Repeat until all shrimp is covered.


4.) Take 1/3 of the shrimp and place them in the oil (carefully!) Fry shrimp for about 1-2 minutes on each side. I fried the shrimp in 3 batches to ensure even cooking.

5.) Place fried shrimp on paper towel to soak up excess oil. 

6.) Place shrimp into serving bowl. Pour Mandarin sauce over shrimp and toss together until all shrimp is covered.

7.) Serve over rice and you have yourself one tasty dinner!

Pour any leftover sauce in container and refrigerate! This can be used for chicken nuggets, panini's... anything you want!

Portuguese Fried Codfish "Empanadas"

I come from a Portuguese background so the first recipe I want to add to my blog is straight from Portugal. My boyfriends mother (Thanks Filomena!) makes these delicious little treats- in Portuguese we call them "Rissois"- but they look like empanadas, so that's what I'll call them. In this recipe she used salted codfish (used a lot in Portuguese cuisine) for the filling but the great part about these things is that you can fill them with anything!

 Here are some alternatives for the filling:

-Cheese, Pizza sauce, Pepperoni

-Slow cooked pork, BBQ Sauce, Onions, Cheese

-Chicken, Cheese, Green Chilis, Sour Cream

-Bacon, Cheese, Scrambled Eggs

These are just a few ideas- or you can get creative and make your own filling!

Here's what you'll need for the Fried Codfish Empanadas:

Codfish Filling:                                                    

2 Cups of cooked, salted codfish

1 Medium sized white Onion, diced
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
3 Eggs
1/2 Cup of Milk
2 Tsp of Flour

2 Tbsp of fresh Parsley, finely chopped

1/4 Tsp of Nutmeg

2 Tbsp of Olive Oil

1/2 Tsp of crushed Red Pepper 

Empenada Crust:
3 Cups of Flour
2 1/2 Cups of Water
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp of Salt

To make Filling:

1.) Take cooked Codfish and put in food processor, shred completely. Set aside.

2.)Use a large sized pot and turn heat to medium/high. Add olive oil, allow to heat. Add the onion and saute in olive oil for 3-4 minutes (do not caramelize). Add the minced garlic and chopped parsley and saute for a 3 more minutes.

3.) Turn heat to low. Take shredded codfish and add to the mixture, mix all ingredients thoroughly.

4.) Take seperate bowl and mix eggs, milk and flour. Stir together.

5.) Slowly add the milk, flour and egg mixture to the large pot containing the codfish, onion, garlic,  etc. stirring frequently.

6.) Stir in nutmeg and crushed red peppers. Continue stirring all ingredients for 5-7 minutes- do not allow to burn! Remove from heat and set aside.

The filling should not be runny at all and should easily be formed into little balls. (If you scroll down you will see a picture of the mixture being added to the raw empanada crust- sorry forgot to take a pictures during the filling making process!)

Empanada Crust:

1.) Add flour, water, olive oil and salt in medium sized bowl. Mix with hands for 2-3 minutes or until all ingredients are incorporated. Dough will be sticky!

2.) On a clean surface, sprinkle some flour and place dough on surface. 

 Continue kneading the dough for 2-3 more minutes.

3.) Take half of dough and roll it out with a rolling pin.

4.) We had one of these Empanada/Pasta cutters, but you can use a cup or anything circular that is about 3 1/2- 4 inches in diameter (you may have to put extra flour throughout this process- this dough is sticky!). Take leftover dough, re-roll it out and continue cutting out circles until there is no more dough left.

 5.) Take a circle cutout and add about 1 tbsp of mixture to center of dough.

6.) Pinch dough over creating a half circle. If you don't have one of these Empanada/Pasta folders then just use a fork to pinch the edges to ensure the filling will not escape during the frying process.

7.) Take large pan and add oil until it reaches about 1/4 of the way up. Heat oil on low/medium setting. Once oil is ready add empanadas to pan and fry about 3 minutes each side. 

 

If the oil is too hot the empanadas will burn easily. Be sure to constantly check the first batch to ensure the temperature is correct.

8.) Once fried, place empenadas on paper towel to collect excess oil. Here is the finished product! (Makes about 40 empanadas- we had eaten a few before this picture was taken!!)

These babies are delicious on their own but if you love your sauces as much as I do, feel free to serve with any type of dipping sauce- ranch is always a favorite for me :) Enjoy!

****This is my first ever recipe blog- if you have any feedback or tips to make this better or easier to read please feel free to leave a comment below!***