Fried rice is one of those dishes that many of us stray away from in the kitchen because it’s so easy to get our hands on from the dozens of Chinese take-out restaurants around these days.  I mean why make fried rice when you can call, order and pick it up in a matter of minutes?  Well, recently I figured out why: making fried rice at home is equally as fast and much healthier than ordering takeout. 

When you take the time to make your own takeout, you can control what goes into your body, as opposed to take out where you have no idea.  In my recipe below, I use fresh ginger and garlic to give the fried rice tons of flavor and only a small amount of soy sauce is needed, keeping the sodium to a minimum.  I also chose to use brown rice instead of white making this dish a great source of fiber.   Though the real beauty is how quickly this meal comes together.  If you make the rice a day or two in advance, this dish can be ready in 15-20 minutes thanks to frozen vegetables and quick cooking shrimp.  So overall you can have a wholesome meal ready in less time it would take for the delivery guy to arrive!

Honestly, this has become one of my “go to” weeknight meals so I wanted to share the deliciousness with you all!

Ingredients: (makes 4 servings)

  • ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1 small bunch of Scallions or Green Onions
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh Garlic, peeled, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh Ginger, peeled, minced
  • 1 cup Frozen Peas and Carrots (easily found in freezer isle)
  • 1 lb. Shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails off
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste
  • 4 cups Cooked Brown Rice
  • 2 tablespoons Lite Soy Sauce
  • 1 Large Egg, lightly beaten

Special Tool: Wok or Deep Frying Pan

Directions:

The key to successful fried rice is having all of your ingredients on hand and ready to go.  So first, before lighting a flame, be sure to prep all your vegetables.  Mince your garlic and ginger and then, holding your knife at an angle, dice your scallions.  But be sure to separate the white parts from the green parts on your cutting board.  Then, have your oil, peas and carrots, shrimp, rice, soy sauce, and beaten egg measured out and on hand.

Once everything is ready to go, heat the oil over high heat.  When almost smoking, add the whites of the scallions, sauté for 1 minute, and then add the garlic and ginger. After 30 seconds or so, add the peas and carrots and cook until defrosted and almost cooked through.  Next, add the shrimp, a bit of salt and pepper for seasoning and cook until almost opaque (about 2-3 minutes).  Then add in the brown rice and flatten rice out with your spoon or spatula.  Pour 2 tbsp. soy sauce over the rice.  Once rice is crackling, gently stir everything and flatten it out again, allowing the rice to cook more.  Repeat this process 1 or 2 more times until it seems like the rice is warmed through and beginning to caramelize just a bit. 

Lastly, move all of the ingredients to the side of your wok or frying pan to create a hole in the middle.  Pour the beaten egg into the middle, scramble quickly and then gently toss the scrambled egg w/ the other ingredients.  Transfer everything to a serving bowl, garnish with the green parts of the scallions and serve immediately.  This dish also reheats nicely.