Fried rice is an easy recipe you can cook when you are in a rush and don’t want to order takeout, it can be prepared in a short time and you don’t need many ingredients; so, it is a quick and delicious dish you can make when short in time but wanting a homemade meal.
You can prepare it with ingredients you probably already have at home, so it’s as simple as it gets. In the same way, you can use any ingredient you like or prefer for cooking. In this case, seafood is a great combo for fried rice too, an easy shrimp fried rice recipe awaits!
Rice nutritional benefits
Rice is an important cereal that makes a great portion of human nourishment; it is part of more than half the global population’s diet. There are many benefits to consuming rice, as it provides plenty of carbohydrates, the body’s main source of energy, vitamins and minerals.
Rice is rich in fiber, especially when it comes to brown rice. It’s also a great source of proteins, some B complex vitamins, vitamin D, and omega 3, while it’s free of fats and cholesterol. Eating it maintains your energy and makes you feel satisfied and ready for any physical activity while helping you maintain a healthy weight.
How to eat rice
There are also not only different benefits to eating rice but different ways of eating it; it is very versatile, and your imagination is the limit! You can just cook it with some salt, or maybe add some vegetables; you can add it to soups to make them thicker; you can make it whatever you want, a side dish or the main dish; sweet or savory. You name it!
Every culture has its gastronomy and most of them have an iconic dish that includes rice:
- In Thailand and Laos, a traditional dish is made with rice and mango.
- In Spain, the typical paella is a dish full of flavor that is usually cooked with meat, poultry or seafood.
Rice varieties and ingredients
As you can see, rice has many benefits you can add to your diet while being adaptable to many recipes, and many types of rice can bring many different benefits and flavors to your meals, like jasmine rice.
Jasmine rice is a great variety of long-grained rice, named after the jasmine flower, which grows in Southeast Asia, mainly because of its fragrance and characteristic flavor. This type of rice is rich in proteins but low in minerals, so it is better eaten with vegetables and meat, such as shrimp.
Fried rice is a typical dish of Chinese cuisine with rice as its main ingredient; it consists of stir-frying rice on a wok at high heat with vegetables such as onion, sprouts, eggs, meat, soy sauce, and oil. There are many varieties of fried rice, each with its own list of ingredients.
At restaurants in western China that served many foreigners, cooks created their recipes for fried rice, like egg fried rice, spicy fried rice, and special fried rice (which can be found almost anywhere).
Normally used ingredients for this recipe can vary. But it mostly includes:
- Vegetables like carrots, celery, sprouts, peas, or tofu; and meats like chicken, pork, shrimp, spam, or regular ham.
- It is cooked with oil, or animal fat to make it more flavorful. An egg is usually added to give some color, and hot sauce or chilies are used to make it a little spicy. Some even season the fried rice with black pepper.
- Soy sauce is employed to give the dish its color and a salty taste, which is the reason why salt isn’t used in this preparation.
This easy shrimp fried rice recipe can be of great use if you also happen to have any leftover rice, as it is better made with pre-cooked rice. It is easy and delicious too, so you will enjoy a full meal quickly, making it perfect for cooking in the rush.
Pre-cooked rice is amazing for cooking this recipe as it is less likely to get sticky since its texture is firmer. That is also a characteristic of jasmine rice, which happens to be fluffier, making it easier for the ingredients to come together evenly without clumping. If you have some jasmine rice, it will be even better for this recipe.
Easy and quick shrimp and rice
If you enjoy easily cooked meals like this fried shrimp rice, it is the perfect recipe for you:
Ingredients
- 2 cups of Jasmine Rice or other long-grained rice, pre-cooked and cold.
- 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil.
- 2 lightly beaten eggs.
- 1 cup of chopped red bell pepper.
- 1 cup of snow peas, thinly sliced.
- 8 oz. of cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined.
- 1/2 cup of frozen peas, thawed.
- 3 tbsp. of soy sauce.
- Sliced green onions.
- ¾ smoked ham, chopped, optional.
- ¾ cup of mushroom, thinly sliced, optional.
Preparation
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add eggs and scramble until it is softly cooked, about 1 minute. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add ham, bell pepper, and snow peas. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.
- Add rice and shrimp, peas, and soy sauce. Cook for 4 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through, and the rice has browned. Fold in reserved egg. Garnish with green onion.
Final tips
This recipe is often garnished with onion and garlic that’s been thinly sliced, as they add texture. If you like spicy food, you can add pepper while cooking or a separate option, so each person can add it to their liking.
Of course, there are many other ways for you to prepare shrimp fried rice. You can add or use any vegetables you like, but that depends on your preferences. So, save this recipe for the next time you find yourself thinking about something easy and quick to cook.
Remember rice doesn’t only have high nutritional value, but it is practical, and you can cook it in many different ways; you should consider adding it to your diet, that way you can enjoy delicious meals and all the benefits it provides.
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