Shrimp Fried Rice
Photo: Jun Ohashi / Unsplash
Day-old rice tossed in a smoking-hot wok with juicy shrimp, fluffy egg, peas and scallions until every grain is separate and lightly toasted. Ready in 20 minutes and better than takeout.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Prepare the rice
Break up the cold rice with your fingers so there are no clumps. Cold, dry rice is the secret — freshly cooked rice turns mushy.
Cook the shrimp
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Stir-fry the shrimp for 1–2 minutes until just pink, then remove to a plate.
Scramble the eggs
Add another 1 tbsp oil, pour in the eggs and scramble into large soft curds, about 30 seconds. Remove with the shrimp.
Fry the rice
Add the last of the oil, then the garlic, scallion whites and carrot for 30 seconds. Add the rice and toss constantly over high heat for 3–4 minutes, pressing it against the hot wok, until the grains are separate and steaming.
Combine and season
Add the peas, soy sauce and white pepper and toss for 1 minute. Return the shrimp and egg, add the scallion greens and sesame oil, and toss once more. Taste for salt and serve immediately.
Prepare the rice
Break up the cold rice with your fingers so there are no clumps. Cold, dry rice is the secret — freshly cooked rice turns mushy.
Cook the shrimp
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Stir-fry the shrimp for 1–2 minutes until just pink, then remove to a plate.
Scramble the eggs
Add another 1 tbsp oil, pour in the eggs and scramble into large soft curds, about 30 seconds. Remove with the shrimp.
Fry the rice
Add the last of the oil, then the garlic, scallion whites and carrot for 30 seconds. Add the rice and toss constantly over high heat for 3–4 minutes, pressing it against the hot wok, until the grains are separate and steaming.
Combine and season
Add the peas, soy sauce and white pepper and toss for 1 minute. Return the shrimp and egg, add the scallion greens and sesame oil, and toss once more. Taste for salt and serve immediately.
The Story Behind the Dish
Fried rice began as a thrifty way to use leftover rice, and records of it go back over 1,400 years. The most celebrated version comes from Yangzhou, where cooks refined it with shrimp, egg and diced ham.
Cantonese cooks carried it around the world, and today shrimp fried rice is on almost every Chinese restaurant menu.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It turns yesterday's rice into something better than it was the first time — fast, cheap and endlessly adaptable.
💡 Fun Fact
Chinese chefs test a cook's skill with plain egg fried rice: every grain should be separate, glossy and evenly coated.
Yangzhou, Jiangsu
32.39°N, 119.41°E
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