Chinese New Year, starts on the first day of the lunar new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later; with the actual dates based on the lunar and solar calendars. It’s a celebration filled with visits to friends and relatives, festivals with colorful costumes, and of course, feasts made up of wonderful Asian dishes. This holiday isn’t just celebrated in China; it is a popular holiday in Thailand, Japan, and many other Asian countries. It is also widely celebrated by Asian-Americans (and non-Asian-Americans) all across America. Chinese New Year is a great excuse to cook and serve good Asian dishes, such as the following family favorite: Spicy Sweet Orange Shrimp.

This fabulous dish is quick and easy; it has minimal ingredients, and the sauce takes advantage of ready-made ingredients such as orange juice concentrate, Thai sweet chili sauce, and Chinese Oyster sauce, all of which are available in most larger grocery stores and Asian grocery stores. Spicy-Sweet Orange Shrimp with rice as an accompaniment can be made in less than 30 minutes; for a complete meal, start the rice in the rice cooker before assembling the ingredients for the shrimp. Everything will be ready when the rice cooker buzzes that it is done.

4 Servings

1 1/2 pounds fresh or thawed frozen uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup Asian sweet chili sauce, such as Mae Ploy Brand
Peel from 1 orange, cut into very thin strips
1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Oriental sesame oil
2 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1. Mix the shrimp with the orange juice concentrate, sweet chili sauce, orange peel strips, vinegar, and oyster sauce; set aside to briefly marinate while preparing the remaining ingredients.


2. In a frying pan or wok, heat the oriental sesame oil to medium heat.


3. Add the green onions and ginger and stir-fry until limp.


4. Add the shrimp mixture and stir fry over high heat until the shrimp are opaque and the sauce is slightly thickened.


5. Serve immediately with rice.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 250 Calories from Fat 37
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 15% Protein 58% Carb. 27%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 4 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 333 mg
Sodium 449 mg
Total Carbohydrate 17 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 36 g

Vitamin A 9% Vitamin C 68% Calcium 0% Iron 30%


Need a stir-fry pan? One can be ordered from Amazon.

Circulon Elite Hard Anodized Nonstick 14-Inch Nonstick Open Stir Fry Pan (See all Woks & Stir-Fry Pans)

Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless 14-Inch Stir-Fry Pan with Helper Handle and Glass Cover (See all Woks & Stir-Fry Pans)