Asian Spice: A Chinese American Dream

by Jackie Alpers for Discover Marana

Your understanding about the origins of Chinese American food may be incorrect – mine certainly were. 

For example, I thought that most of the Chinese dishes that we consider to be American favorites were modified by Chinese chefs to fit American tastes and ingredients, but that’s not always the case. 

Cantonese Roots in Arizona

The Chinese immigrants who arrived in Southern Arizona in the late 1800’s to help build the transcontinental railroad were primarily Cantonese. They often went on to open grocery stores and farms because their background was largely in agriculture. Also, they opened restaurants, which helped shape the American perception of Chinese food to the extent that Cantonese favorites like Honey Walnut Shrimp, chow mein, and ho fun became synonymous icons of Chinese American cuisine, when in fact all of these meals are straight-up Cantonese.

To this day, many people believed that these dishes originated in the United States when in fact they originated in the Guangdong province of China. 

Chef Phillip Tan and Asian Spice

Almost 150 years later, Cantonese style Chinese food is still beloved. Phillip Tan, who grew up in Guangdong and worked as a chef at the 5-star Nan Hai Hotel in Shenzhen before opening Asian Spice restaurant in Marana over 10 years ago, is serving some of the most celebrated Chinese American food in the country. Asian Spice is one of only three Arizona restaurants to make the 2025 Yelp 100 list of top Chinese restaurants in the U.S. – an incredible honor because the ratings are truly a vote from the community. To quote the website, the awards are, “determined by a combination of user-submitted reviews, ratings, and the volume of reviews, with community managers and trend experts further curating the final rankings.” 

Joyce and Phillip Tan decided to open Asian Spice in Marana after working for over ten years at restaurants in Tucson. Philip wanted to pursue the American dream and open a restaurant of his own with, “respect to the original recipes and of the highest quality.” The Tans love living and working in Marana because of the beautiful views, good traffic and nice people. 

Tucked neatly into a Marana strip mall anchored by a grocery store chain, Asian Spice is outwardly unassuming, and there are only a handful of tables inside. When I visited on a Monday at noon there was a 20 minute waitlist for seating and a steady stream of dedicated customers picking up takeout and catering orders – a clear indicator of the exuberant love from both Marana locals, as well as Tucson folks traveling upwards of an hour for their favorite dishes. 

A Beloved Neighborhood Spot

Joyce explained how much they value their customers’ input and have even altered some dishes slightly over time based on their feedback. She said that in the Tucson area, “we lean towards wanting food that’s lighter and brighter, and more vegetables.” So they use light oil, as well as really light sweet sauces, so that they can “keep the dishes healthier and not too heavy.”

Phillip also experimented with adding a little bit of butter to their fried rice in order to make it more flavorful (and also because they both like butter), and when they asked customers to do a comparison test the butter version handily won out. Joyce said that when she was a kid the fried rice she enjoyed at home was, “pretty simple, no butter, just the egg, and a little bit of sauce.”

The Tans are grateful for the amazing support from the community and for their talented staff. Joyce Tan said, “We’re very proud of all the employees here working so hard, and the good job they do serving the customers, including everyone in the kitchen from the dishwasher to the chefs, and kitchen helpers. Everybody does a very good job. We can’t do that without them – the whole team makes this happen.”

Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe from Asian Spice Chef Phillip Tan 

Honey walnut shrimp is a Cantonese dish that originated in Hong Kong and made its way to the United States in the 1980’s and 1990’s, so it is a relative newcomer to the American Chinese food scene. It is often served as one of the early courses at Chinese banquets and has now become more popular and better known in the United States than it is in China. 

Chef Phillip Tan has graciously provided Discover Marana with Asian Spice’s Honey Walnut Shrimp recipe. The batter for the shrimp is made with only egg whites, cornstarch and baking powder, so it’s gluten-free. Crisp shredded cabbage and carrots strike a perfect balance with the creamy, honey-sweetened sauce and honey glazed walnuts. 

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Special Equipment 

• Wok or Dutch oven, for frying 
• Baking sheet lined with a wire rack

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnut halves
• ½ cup honey, divided
• ¼ cup mayonnaise 
• 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar 
• 2 large egg whites 
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pound jumbo shrimp (16 to 24 count), peeled and deveined 
• 1 vegetable oil, for frying 
• 2 cups shredded cabbage and carrot coleslaw mix 
• 1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds 

Directions

Warm ¼ cup of honey in a large skillet over medium-low heat until thinned and shimmering. Add the walnuts and stir to coat. Continue cooking for 3-5 minutes until the walnuts have darkened, watching to make sure they do not burn. Transfer the walnuts to a wire rack lined baking sheet and separate with a fork so that the walnuts aren’t sticking together. Transfer to a bowl once cooled. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining honey, mayonnaise, sweetened condensed milk and rice vinegar until smooth and creamy. Set aside. 

Heat 1-inch of oil in a wok or Dutch oven to 350°F. Wash any residual honey from the wire rack, place back inside the baking sheet and set nearby. 

In a separate large mixing bowl whisk together the egg whites until frothy, about 2 to 3 minutes, then add the cornstarch and baking powder and whisk until completely incorporated, about 1 minute longer. Toss the shrimp in the egg batter to coat. Working in batches carefully lower the shrimp one-by-one into the hot oil and cook for 60 to 90 seconds on each side or until lightly browned, being sure to not let the shrimp touch each other while cooking. Transfer to the wire rack and repeat with the remaining shrimp. Toss the shrimp in the honey mayonnaise sauce while still hot. 

To serve, place ½ cup of cabbage mix on each serving plate, top with a portion of shrimp then garnish with honey walnuts and white sesame seeds. Serve immediately. 

Asian Spice is located at 7850 N. Silverbell Rd. #144. For more information, visit asianspiceaz.com.

Check out our August 2022 Instagram Reel on Asian Spice.