Better than Takeout Fried Rice with Shrimp

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Better than Takeout Fried Rice with Shrimp

Making perfectly fluffy, better than takeout fried rice at home is easy. It's all about 3 important steps - follow the recipe below and you'll never have clumpy fried rice again!

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: servings

Calories: 555kcal

Author: Jenna

Equipment

1 large sauté pan
1 wooden spatula
1 bowl or measuring cup

Ingredients

½ cup dry white rice, rinsed well
300 g shrimp, tails removed (see Note 1)
½ tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper, divided
Cooking spray or 1 tbsp avocado oil
½ cup yellow onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen carrots (see Note 2)
1 cup frozen peas
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp light soy sauce
½ tsp MSG
2 large eggs
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Green onions, thinly sliced, to garnish, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook the rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop then chill for 2-3 hours or overnight (if you're making it the same day, leave it uncovered in the fridge)

The rice needs to be cooked in advance to make sure there's no remaining moisture when it's added to the dish

Pat the shrimp dry then season on both sides with salt and ½ tsp white pepper
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat then spray with avocado oil
Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until pink and cooked through then remove from the pan and set aside (for large shrimp, chop once slightly cooled)
Spray with a little more avocado oil then add the onion
Sauté for 4-5 minutes until softened then add the garlic and frozen peas and carrots
Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the rice and break up any clumps with a spatula
In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, ½ tsp white pepper and the MSG
Pour the sauce over the rice then mix
Let cook for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce is FULLY absorbed and no liquid remains in the pan

It's crucial to ensure that all the sauce has been absorbed and the pan is dry before moving on to the next step

Push the rice to the side and add the eggs
Break up the yolk and gently scramble the eggs, then let them cook without stirring

If you stir the egg into the rice before it's fully cooked, you'll coat the rice in liquid and it will steam instead of frying which will result in a sticky, clumpy texture

Once the egg is fully cooked, break it up with a spatula, then return the shrimp to the pan and toss
Top with toasted sesame oil and mix then serve

Notes

Note 1: You can use any size of shrimp for this recipe. I weigh the shrimp after removing the tails. You can also use cubed chicken breast instead of shrimp. Follow the same steps but increase the cooking time to 8-10 minutes.

Note 2: You can use raw carrots, but it will increase the cooking time. If you're using raw carrots, add them at the same time as the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes. If I don't have frozen carrots on hand, my trick is to cut a medium carrot into sticks then steam it in the steamer basket of my rice cooker to cut down on the cooking time.

Nutrition Facts in the recipe card below are calculated automatically and may be inaccurate. For more accurate nutrition information, refer to the macros below. Macros in the Recipe Notes section are calculated using a Macro Calculation App but will differ slightly based on ingredients used in individual variations. Nutritional information for this recipe is based on one serving.

Macros per serving: 563 calories/38g protein/70g carbs/14g fat

Nutrition