Classic fried shrimp rice with fresh shrimp, rice, spring onions, peas, carrots and sesame oil. Tips for making the BEST fried rice!
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Do you ever have leftover rice in the fridge? A great way to use it up is to make fried rice! Fried rice actually works best with chilled leftover rice. Fresh rice can get a bit mushy. But leftover rice that could dry out a bit? Perfect for roasting.
This Shrimp Fried Rice recipe comes from my dear friend Jaden at SteamyKitchen.com. She learned how to make the best fried rice from her mom (after a rather fun failed attempt when she was a teenager). It’s super easy and comes together in under half an hour.
Tricks to the perfect fried rice
- As mentioned, use chilled leftover rice! The dry refrigerator air helps dry the rice a bit, which is why cold leftover rice never tastes as good the next day when eaten on its own, but it’s perfect for frying.
- Use high heat. You don’t need a red-hot stove in the restaurant kitchen, just patience for your pan to get hot. A hot pan will help fry everything quickly and prevent ingredients from sticking.
- Fry the ingredients separately. To prevent the ingredients and their flavors from sweating together, cook them separately but in the same pan. Start with the protein (in this case the shrimp), cook until almost done, then remove from the pan and cook the other ingredients – next the eggs, then the rice. Finally, add the egg whites and eggs back to the rice.
- Minimize stirring. If you want a browning, don’t stir. Just spread the rice in the pan and let the pan do the work.
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Check out this easy fried rice recipe
fried rice with shrimp
Be sure to use leftover day-old rice when making fried rice. Freshly prepared rice results in fried rice that is mushy.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Jaden’s fabulous The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook: 101 Asian Recipes Simple Enough for Tonight’s Dinner. Check out her book for more recipes!
ingredients
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8th ounces small raw shrimppeeled and deveined
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1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
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Freshly ground black pepper
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1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
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3 tablespoon peanut oilrapeseed oil or rice bran oil
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3 big eggsbeaten
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2 green onionschopped
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4 cups Leftover rice, grains well separated
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3/4 Cup frozen peas and carrotsthawed
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1 tablespoon soy sauce (Use gluten-free soy sauce if making gluten-free version), plus more to taste
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1 teaspoon dark roasted sesame oil
method
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Toss prawns with salt, pepper, cornstarch:
In a medium bowl, sprinkle the shrimp with salt, pepper, and cornstarch and flip to coat. Leave to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
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Heat the pan on high:
Heat a large skillet or wok (a seasoned cast iron skillet or hard-anodized aluminum works well, they’re relatively non-stick and can handle the heat) over high heat.
When the pan is very hot (a drop of water will sizzle as soon as it hits the pan), toss in a tablespoon of cooking oil to coat the pan.
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Sear the prawns on both sides:
Add the shrimp to the hot pan and quickly spread them out in a single layer. Let them fry in the pan for 30 seconds without moving them.
Flip the shrimp and cook on the other side for an additional 30 seconds or until mostly cooked through. (Do not fully cook!)
Using a slotted spoon, scoop the shrimp out of the pan into a bowl.
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Boil beaten eggs, slightly runny:
Place the pan back on the stove and reduce the heat to medium-high. Add a little more oil if the pan needs it. Add the beaten eggs, beating quickly to stir while they cook.
If the eggs are undercooked, still slightly runny, transfer them from the pan to the bowl of cooked shrimp.
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Sauté spring onions, add rice:
Clean the pan or wok with paper towels and place it back on the stove. Heat skillet on high and toss in remaining tablespoon or two of oil when hot. When the oil is simmering hot (almost smoking), add the spring onions and sauté for 15 seconds.
Then add the leftover cooked rice to the pan and mix well with the spring onions.
Spread the rice and onion mixture over the surface of the pan and sauté without stirring. You should hear the rice sizzle. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.
Turn the rice over with a spatula and spread it again on the pan. Cook for another minute.
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Add soy sauce, carrots, peas, shrimp, eggs, sesame oil:
Sprinkle soy sauce over the rice and stir.
Add carrots, peas, shrimp, eggs and sesame oil and stir well.
Heat everything until it sizzles. Add more soy sauce to taste.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 419 | calories |
| 16g | Fat |
| 49g | carbohydrates |
| 18g | protein |
