Enjoy this traditional and highly versatile recipe at any time of the day. You can literally do no wrong with fried rice and shrimp.
If you’ve got leftover rice and you don’t know what to do with it, I’ve got the perfect answer for you – fried rice with shrimp!
Shocked? Don’t be. Leftover chilled out rice gets some time to dry up a bit, which makes it better for frying, as opposed to using fresh rice that gets a bit slushy when you fry it.
I might crown fried rice the king of recipes when it comes to versatility – Anything can go in it. It’s usually a mixture of vegetables, eggs and animal proteins like chicken, fish or tofu. In this recipe, we’re going with a seafood version where we use shrimp, along with many other condiments typically used for fried rice.
Rice and shrimp together are almost magical, and it’s no different in this recipe. This recipe is incredibly delicious, and also incredibly easy to make. This is an excellent lunch option and something you should try whenever you have those leftover rice.
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
2 cups of leftover rice, chilled.
1 lb. of head peeled but tail-on shrimp.
¼ of a big white chopped onion.
8 cloves of minced garlic.
1 large egg.
½ tbsp of soy sauce.
A pinch of sugar.
2 tbsps of oil for frying.
5 chopped chilies.
3 tbsps of fish sauce.
½ of a lime.
1 bunch of chopped green onion.
1 chopped red bell pepper.
½ cup of yellow corn.
½ cup of fresh basil.
Preparation
Step 1:
Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar to a small bowl and mix well until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside
Step 2:
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and drizzle with 2 tbsps of oil. Sauté 2 minced garlic cloves and chili for 30 seconds, then add in the shrimp and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add in onion, chopped bell pepper, corn and the rest of the garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
Step 3:
Add the rice and the soy sauce mix to the frying pan and cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
Step 4:
Clear a space in the middle of the pan, place 1 tsp of oil and crack in the egg. Scramble the egg and combine it with the rice gradually.
Step 5:
Turn off the heat, and mix in the green onion and basil. Fried rice is ow ready to be served and enjoyed warm.
Tricks to Perfect Fried Rice
As mentioned, chilled leftover rice is your go-to rice for this recipe. The dry refrigerator air helps dry the rice a bit, making it perfect for frying.
This recipe doesn’t call for blazing heat, even if you’re in a hurry to get everything fried quickly. Medium heat is enough to get the desired temperatures.
Minimize stirring. If you want browning, don’t stir. Just spread the rice out in the pan and let the pan do the work.