Shrimp Fried Rice is an easy one-pot meal with your favorite Asian flavors. Chock-full of shrimp, green peas, and fluffy eggs, it’s hearty, delicious and the best use for leftover rice! Plus helpful tips on how to make it perfectly anytime, every time!
G and I sat down together at the beginning of January and went over our typical monthly expenses with a fine-tooth comb to figure out how to streamline our household costs. After going through our numbers, we were both shocked to realize the main bulk of our food expenses was from eating out and ordering in!
Considering how much I love to cook, regular fast food is a wallet-breaking habit we definitely need to break especially when our favorite Chinese takeouts can be easily whipped up in less time it would take to drive to the restaurant and pick it up. This Shrimp fried rice, for example, takes but twenty minutes to make and tastes so much better than Panda’s!
Generously studded with plump shrimps, fluffy scrambled eggs, and sweet peas, it is an economical yet satisfying one-pot meal you can have ready on the table in minutes. Plus it’s a great use for leftovers.
Fried rice is blank palette you can easily customize with whatever odds and ends you have in the fridge. I used shrimp, frozen green peas, and eggs I already have on hand but feel free to add or swap your choice of proteins and vegetables. Check out my suggestions below.
Meat and Vegetables to Use for Fried Rice:
- chicken breast, thinly sliced to strips
- leftover rotisserie chicken, shredded
- ground beef, browned and broken to chunks
- beef sirloin or flap meat, thinly sliced to strips
- Chinese sausages, thinly sliced
- BBQ pork (Char sui)
- bacon, chopped
- tofu, cubed and browned
- bean sprouts
- green onions
- frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
- peas and carrots
- fried shallots
- pineapple cubes
- cashews
- raisins
Although a very simple dish to pull together, there are a few tips/tricks on how to take your fried rice from good to great.
Tips on How to Make the Chinese Shrimp Fried Rice:
- Use cold, leftover cooked rice. Leaving the rice in the refrigerator for at least a day rids of excess moisture and allows the grains to firm up, making them easier to separate and prevents the rice from turning into mush. If you need to use freshly cooked rice, spread it out in a thin layer on a baking sheet and stick in the fridge for a few hours to dry out and completely cool.
- Cooking fried rice is a very quick process. Make sure all your ingredients are prepared and ready to go for the brief stir-frying.
- A wok is best but a wide pan with slanted will work as well. Set burners on high heat and heat your wok until blazing hot. This will prevent the rice from sticking to the surface and gives the whole dish a nice toasty flavor.
- Marinating the shrimps in a mixture of cornstarch, salt, and pepper keeps them juicy and flavorful. Please do NOT skip this step!
- If adding eggs, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until just set and still slightly wet as they will continue to cook when returned to the pan with the rest of the ingredients.
- Do not skimp on the oil. You don’t want the fried rice to be overly greasy but aim for the rice grains to have a slight sheen when stir-fried. Use high smoke point oils such as peanut or corn oil.
- Do not overcrowd the pan and cook in batches, as necessary, to prevent the temperature of the wok from plummeting and to provide room for the rice grains to toast and caramelize.
- Add liquid seasonings such as soy sauce or fish sauce sparingly. You want to limit the amount of liquid or moisture to keep the fried rice from getting mushy.
Give this shrimp fried rice for dinner tonight, it’s amazing with Kung Pao chicken! By following the tips above, you’ll make fried rice perfectly anytime, every time. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 4 cups cold, day-old cooked rice
- 1/2 pound large shrimps, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 cup green peas (or peas and carrots) thawed
- 1 tablepoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- With wet hands, break clumps and separate rice grains. Set aside.
- In a bowl, combine shrimp, cornstarch, and salt and pepper to taste. Let stand for about 10 minutes and drain well.
- In a wok over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl around the bottom of the wok.
- Add eggs and cook, stirring to scramble and break up, until just set and still slightly wet. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Wipe down wok as needed. Increase heat to high. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl across the bottom of the pan. Heat until very hot.
- Add shrimps in a single layer and cook for about 30 seconds. Turn and cook for another 20 to 30 seconds or just until color changes to pink. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In the wok, add onions and garlic and cook until softened.
- Add green peas and cook, stirring regularly, for about 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In the wok, add another 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat insides of the wok. Heat until shimmering.
- Add rice and spread over the surface of the wok. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until grains begins to sizzle and then turn. Spread again over surface of wok and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Drizzle soy sauce and sesame oil over rice.
- Return shrimps, green peas and eggs to wok. Toss rice to evenly distribute ingredients.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes or until completely heated through. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Debbie says
I made the recipe “as is” and it is delicious! I love the crunch the green peas give it. I deleted other shrimp fried rice recipes after trying this one. This is the only one needed. Thank you!!!!!
Lalaine says
Awww, thank you so much for your feedback. You made my day 🙂 I am glad you enjoyed it!
Melody says
I’m from Chicago, IL, and I have NEVER had fried rice with peas and carrots until I moved to Las Vegas. I was accustomed to fried rice with chestnuts, bean sprouts, and scallions.
Tamie says
I agree , all my years of ordering fried rice no peas and carrots. I like it better without
Lalaine says
Hello Tamie
You can add or skip any vegetable you like. That’s the beauty of fried rice, you can use almost whatever bits and pieces you have in the fridge 🙂