Today's theme has been to recreate some of my favorite restaurant dishes at home. First up, Orange Chicken, which ironically enough, I rarely order this in any Chinese restaurant. This recipe is outrageously delicious and insanely easy! I coated the chicken in tempura batter, flash fried, and then coated in the orange sauce which I also made from scratch.
Next up, a dish that I ALWAYS order - Bonefish Grill's Bang Bang Shrimp. In fact, I don't think I've ever gone to Bonefish and NOT ordered it. I expected this to be more of a challenge, but it was as easy as the chicken. I soaked the raw shrimp in buttermilk for a bit and then dredged them in cornstarch before frying. The sauce is basically mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, and a little Sriracha. Other than the shrimp being larger than what Bonefish serves, this recipe is a near clone. I will absolutely make this again!
Both the chicken and the shrimp needed a good rice to pair with, but white rice just seemed too boring so I made fried rice, very similar to the fried rice on Johnny's menu in Roland Park, another one of my favorite dishes. I had a ton of leftover white rice from lunch so I simply sautéed some garlic in sesame oil, then added some finely diced carrots. After a few minutes, I added the cold white rice, soy sauce (light and dark), ponzu, freshly ground Szechuan peppercorns, scrambled eggs, and crispy bacon. Just before serving I added some frozen peas. It's garlicky, salty, and a little bit sweet from the peas, carrots, and eggs. Perfection.
And for dessert (not from a restaurant), I whipped up Ina Garten's Brownie Pudding. I've made this before and it is SO easy. I HIGHLY recommend it.
Tip: It takes an hour to bake but only 10 minutes to prepare so make the batter before dinner and then stick it in the oven right before you serve dinner. The timing will be nearly perfect. (Click the link for the recipe.)
Time for a break tonight, but just wait until you see what I'm making for breakfast tomorrow!
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