Coconut Crystal Shrimp

Ever since I can remember, my family has celebrated many occasions at a local Chinese restaurant called Dynasty. As many times as I have eaten there, I have never once ordered the Coconut Crystal Shrimp….until a couple of weeks ago. It was absolutely divine! The sauce was so good you could drink it. In fact, I practically licked my plate clean. Of course, I’m sure it was loaded with gluten and sugar. Regardless, I was inspired. Not that I am any kind of “Chopped champion” or anything….but I think I was successful at guessing what ingredients went into this dish, because it came out pretty spot-on. 🙂
Coconut Crystal Shrimp
Ingredients
For the shrimp:

• 1 lb shrimp, cooked peeled and deveined
• 1 C unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 C tapioca flour
• 1/4 C coconut sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 egg, whisked
• Coconut or olive oil for frying

For the sauce:

• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 TB coconut sugar
• 1 TB honey
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 TB tapioca flour
• 1 TB cold water

Directions
For the shrimp:

• Add coconut, tapioca, sugar, salt and pepper to a food processor. Pulse 2-3 times, until coconut is ground into flakes.
• Rinse shrimp and pat dry.
• Dip shrimp in egg, then coat in coconut mixture.
• Heat enough oil to cover shrimp to medium-high and fry about 3 minutes, until lightly browned.
• Dry on paper towels.

For the Sauce:

• In a small saucepan, add coconut milk and bring to medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Add honey, sugar, salt and pepper and continue to stir until blended well.
• Reduce heat to medium-low.
• In a separate dish, mix together tapioca and water. Slowly add to pan, stirring continuously until thickened.