Shrimp fried rice? Imagine giant flame-throwing woks, hot spitting oil, sweating chefs shouting in a language you don’t understand and wielding oversized chopsticks. Not in my kitchen! This shrimp fried rice recipe is a lot more zen but just as tasty and authentic. But, yes, it is rapid. 15 minutes, one pan, and done!
I love a juicy, just-cooked shrimp that bursts between the teeth, but if it’s not your thing, leave the shrimp out of this one for a vegetarian version. Or spice it up with this easy kimchi fried rice recipe, topped with an egg!
Fried rice with shrimp
Fried rice is an ancient dish that was originally put together to accommodate leftovers, specifically rice. Being so versatile, it can be found all over Asia as in my meat-free Korean kimchi version, Indonesian Nasi Goreng, or Thai-style crab fried rice.
You can pre-cook your rice earlier in the day, or in the name of cost-efficiency, I like to use leftover rice. The key is that it is about a day old. Here’s why; once cooked and chilled, the rice is drier and firmer which yields the ideal texture. Freshly cooked rice will absorb the oil and become an unappetising stir-fried mush.
In this fried rice recipe, I’ve used fat fresh shrimp and a frozen veg mix. I splurged on shrimp and kept the budget down with the other ingredients. But feel free to customise your protein and vegetables to your taste.
You could keep it simple with a basic egg and canned corn, or use leftover chicken and broccoli from a Sunday roast, or get high-end with flaked salmon and asparagus. The combinations are limitless!
Recipe tips and notes
- This restaurant-quality fried rice dish can come straight from your own kitchen. It’s really not that intimidating.
- The secret is to cook the shrimp then eggs in stages and then combine all the ingredients together.
- As I said, rapid! So, measure and prep all your ingredients before you start cooking and have them laid out at arm’s reach.
- This recipe is ideal for all you long grain users out there. Not so much for the basmati crowd. You can use your leftover basmati, but robust long grain will offer the best result.
- Feel free to use frozen veg here! Not only does this up the economy of this dish, it is soooo convenient.
- Adding a sprinkling of sliced green onions (spring onions) at the end will add the green appeal to the plate and give it a little zing.
- I urge you to season with sesame oil as well as soy sauce. The smoky and nutty aroma will transport you instantly to Chinatown.
- Finally, I love mine with a dash of chilli oil. It’s these finishing touches that elevate your day-old rice to a critic-worthy dish.
Serving suggestions
Besides the irresistible pairing of egg and shrimp, other highly appealing factors of this dish are:
– it makes use of budget-friendly ingredients; eggs, frozen veg and leftover rice
– it can be put together in under 15 minutes
– there’s only one pan to wash up
So why complicate matters with anything else? Well, pure gluttony. While my rational mind tells me to stop there, my stomach tells me I need more! At least a starter like Asian air fryer chicken wings or chicken satay with peanut sauce, right? And a quick beef yakisoba to round the meal off?
Storage and leftovers
There is some anxiety around using leftover rice, so let me give you some easy-to-follow guidelines:
- Make sure first-time rice is cooled and refrigerated quickly.
- Use the pre-cooked rice within 24 hours.
- Twice-cooked rice must reach a food safe temperature before eating (75C/ 167F).
- Throw second-time leftovers away.
IMPORTANT: As we’re using leftover rice in this dish already, any uneaten shrimp fried rice should be binned. Safety first, people!
More recipes to try
- Prawn Noodle Stir Fry
- 10 Minute Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Spicy Peanut Noodle with Cabbage and Carrots
- Honey Sesame Chicken
Shrimp Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil divided
- 250g / 8 oz raw shrimp
- Salt
- White pepper or black pepper
- 400g / 3 cups day old cooked long grain rice
- 3 eggs
- 140g / 1 cup frozen vegetable mix (peas, carrots, corn, bean)
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2-3 green onions sliced
- Chinese chilli oil or chilli crisp to serve
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients before starting to cook. Season the shrimp with salt and white pepper. Beat the eggs with salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside. Measure out the frozen vegetable mix.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok or a large pan and cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes until cooked all the way through. Remove to a plate.
- Add the eggs to the wok and scramble them into large pieces. Then push to one side of the wok, add another tablespoon of oil and bring in the rice to the wok, stir until it’s heated through. Then add the frozen vegetables and the soy sauce, stir fry for a couple of minutes, then bring the shrimp back to the pan, stir fry until everything is hot. Taste and add a touch of soy sauce if needed and the sesame oil, top with sliced green onions. Serve with Chinese chilli oil or chilli crisp.
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