Shrimp fried rice – a quick and easy, super delicious take on fried rice that may become your favorite, weeknight comfort food.
Here’s an easy and super delicious recipe, that you should save and keep handy when you need a quick weeknight dinner. It’s simple, and loved by all, and it takes no time to put on the table. It’s versatile too, as shrimp can easily be replaced with other meat, or omitted altogether if you prefer a vegetarian version. It’s one of my kids’ favorite dishes, and it’s definitely in high rotation in our house.
The recipe is courtesy of my multi-talented friend Kirk (former chef, and presently a woodworking artist), whose inspiration was the shrimp fried rice he had, at an old Vietnamese fast food restaurant in San Francisco, called Tu Lan. Years after I’ve been eating the fried rice at Kirk’s, and making it myself, I visited Tu Lan, curious to sample the original. It was really good, I have to admit, but dare I say, our version was a close second? In any case, it’s got more shrimp, more fried eggs, and more onions – all of which we love in our fried rice.
For my kids’s sake I make this most often with leftover cooked chicken, or no meat at all, but I’m personally partial to the shrimp version. There is something about the mild shrimp taste that goes so well with the mild curry, and makes it all so addictive.
The most important thing here is the rice. You want to use a long-grain, day-old rice. I like to use Basmati, which is less starchy and results in fluffy, dry rice grains, that easily separate. I do not recommend Jasmine rice (another long-grain variety) due to its higher starch content, as it gets clumpy and wet, when cooked.
Why use day-old rice? This allows the rice to dry out, and produces a fluffier fried rice. If you don’t have cooked rice on hand, but really want to make the dish, I suggest you make the rice at least a couple of hours ahead, then spread it out on a tray to air dry.
Shrimp fried rice – a quick and easy, super delicious take on fried rice that may become your favorite, weeknight comfort food.
- 7 oz (200 g) raw shrimp **
- 1 1/2 cup cooked Basmati rice (see method below)
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 2 eggs
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 Tbs peanut (sunflower) oil
- 1 1/2 Tbs soy sauce
- 1 tsp mild curry powder ***
- chopped green onions (optional)
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Heat the oil in a wok or pan, until sizzling. Crack the eggs into the hot oil (no need to beat), and let them fry for 20 seconds. Tear the eggs into small pieces with your wooden spoon or spatula.
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Add the shrimp, and cook for a couple of minutes.
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Add the chopped onion and garlic, stir, and let cook for 1 minute.
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Add the rice, peas, curry powder, soy sauce, and a drizzle of oil, and continue to cook for a couple more minutes.
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Serve with freshly chopped green onions, and more soy sauce if needed.
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Rinse 1 cup of Basmati rice under running, cold water, until the water is clear. Drain well.
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Heat 2 tsp oil in a deep pot, and add the rice. Cook for a minute, then add 1 1/2 cups water or broth, a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
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Immediately reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover the pot, and let the rice cook on low heat for about 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and leave covered for 10 more minutes.
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Spread the rice on a large, flat surface to air dry (if you need to use it the same day), or store in the fridge for a week, and use the next day to make fried rice.
* If you want to scale the recipe up for 4 people, I suggest you make it in two batches, so as not to overcrowd the pan.
** I like to chop most of the shrimp into small cubes, and leave a few whole for decoration. You can also swap the shrimp for cooked chicken, beef or pork, or omit it altogether for a vegetarian version.
*** Every curry powder blend is slightly different. I like to use a mild curry here for the aroma, not so much for the heat.
