Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (Prawn Fried Rice)

Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe also known as prawn fried rice or stir fry prawn with rice is made with seasoned shrimp, cooked rice, ginger, garlic, onions, soy sauce & spring onions. This delicious quick and easy one pot dinner recipe comes together in less than 20 minutes and is a family favorite just like my egg fried rice & veg fried rice. Learn how to make the best take-out style shrimp fried rice with step by step pictures and video.

Shrimp Fried Rice

I have been getting quite a few mails from viewers to post more prawn | shrimp recipes. Couple weeks back when we went shopping, I found 1 kg bag of prawns at a great price. I tried out few of our family favorite shrimp recipes and posted on the blog.

About Prawn Fried Rice

Fried rice is one of the most loved rice dish around the world. It is a great way to use up leftover rice or day old rice. Fried rice makes a wholesome meal on its own because of the carb, protein, veggies added to it. Also because of the seasonings and flavouring it is most loved by many.

Adding cooked shrimp to rice dish is a popular way of making fried rice. Shrimp fried rice or prawn fried rice is loved by many including our viewers. There is no particular recipe in making prawn fried rice, all you need is some shrimp, cooked rice, seasonings, vegetables and aromatics, within few minutes you have a perfect bowl of shrimp fried rice. I served my fried rice with a spicy chilli prawns but it taste equally delicious on its own with a fried egg on top or with my dragon prawns.

The key for a perfect fried rice is the rice, you have to cook it right so fried rice turns out perfectly fluffy and non sticky. And if you use previous day cooked rice, then your fried rice will be even better. I have shared more details on how to cook perfect rice in my chicken fried rice recipe.

I started by making a marinating prawns and cooked them separately. Later I mixed it with the rice, because I want the prawn to have as much flavour as the rice has. For a tropical Hawaiian inspired shrimp and rice dish, you can include chopped pineapple into the fried rice for a sweet flavour.

In this blog post, I have shared all my tips and tricks to make the best shrimp fried rice in town.

Check out my collection of fried rice recipes on this blog

Restaurant Style Veg Fried Rice

Singapore Veg Fried Rice

Schezwan Veg Fried Rice

Shrimp Fried Rice Ingredients

Shrimp - I used shelled deveined fresh shrimp for this fried rice. But you can easily use a bag of frozen shrimp or even frozen cooked shrimp. I like to use fresh sea food in my cooking for better taste and also I like to season and cook it to my liking.

Cooked Rice - Every Indo-Chinese fried rice recipe uses cooked basmati rice for fried rice. Any long grain rice can be used, jasmine rice is a better option for making takeout style fried rice recipe.

Aromatics - onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies are my aromatics in the fried rice. Make sure you chop them very finely so it incorporate evenly into the rice.

Vegetables - Even though adding vegetables is optional but for added nutrition and colour, you can use carrots, green beans, bell peppers and green peas when making fried rice.

Seasonings - Salt, sugar and black pepper is the seasoning I used in my fried rice. I also added some chilli powder when marinating the prawns to add a char golden colour to my cooked prawns. For restaurant or takeout style fried rice, it is important to use ajinomoto or MSG.

Sauces - soy sauce adds the umami taste to the fried rice. For spicy note, you can add some chilli paste, sambal oleok or sriracha.

Optional - optional ingredient like eggs, vegetables, corn can be added in fried rice. Some recipes even uses cooked chicken tossed in their shrimp fried rice.

Did you know pineapple and shrimp goes well together. Try adding chopped pineapples into the shrimp and rice dish for a delicious sweet touch.

How to Make Shrimp Fried Rice Meal Even Better

This Shrimp and rice dishes is great recipe to have in your weekly meal routine, when we are in a hurry, have to put meal on the table in less than 30 minutes. To turn this easy shrimp rice dish into a filling meal, try to include these options.

Include a protein packed side dish - when serving fried rice, you can include some kind of extra side dish like this dragon chicken, sichuan pepper chicken which not only makes the meal tasty but transform into a restaurant worthy meal.

Add extra protein & veggies - you can add vegetables for added nutrition and colour, you can use steam cooked carrots, green beans, bell peppers, sweet corn, green peas or broccoli when making fried rice. Try adding cooked shredded chicken into the fried rice itself.

Eggs - include fried egg or scrambled egg into the fried rice.

with pineapple - Traditionally pineapples pair amazing with shrimp. For making a Hawaii inspired fried rice, add in chopped pineapples in the end of the stir fry. You can grill pineapple and add it into the rice and shrimp dish. Try presenting the dish in hollowed halved pineapple for a restaurant style touch.

Best Rice for Making Fried Rice

There are many varieties of rice available in the market, it is important to choose the correct rice for making fried rice. Long grain rice is the best choice sine it has less starch content than short grain rice. Starch content makes the stir fry rice sticky and mushy so it is best to avoid them. 

Sticky rice or sushi rice has more starch in them so it cannot be used for making fried rice. In my opinion it is best to use jasmine rice, long grain rice or basmati rice. Jasmine rice has a nice chewy texture to the rice which I really liked in my nasi goreng recipe. But most of the Indo-Chinese restaurants use basmati rice in their fried rice. 

Cooking the rice a day in advance and storing it in fridge is important for making fluffy fried rice just like take out. Cold rice makes the best fried rice. Every time I want to make fried rice, I like to cook my rice a day in advance and store in fridge. Fresh rice won’t work for fried rice since the rice grains may break when stir frying.

Leftover cooked rice from the previous day can be stored in an air tight container in fridge for upto 3 to 4 days and turned into fried rice whenever you need. In many Asian convenience store, cooked rice is sold in separate containers specially for making fried rice. 

How to Make Shrimp Fried Rice (Stepwise Pictures)

Cooked Rice

1)Like all fried rice recipe, this start with cooked rice. You can use day old cooked rice, leftover rice in this recipe. This is cooked basmati rice. Learn how to cook rice easy method in this post.

Pro Tips: Cooking the rice a day in advance and storing it in fridge is important for making fluffy fried rice just like take out. Cold rice makes the best fried rice. Every time I want to make fried rice, I like to cook my rice a day in advance and store in fridge. Fresh rice won’t work for fried rice since the rice grains may break when stir frying.

Marinating Prawns (Shrimp)

2)take cleaned, shelled, de-veined prawns in a bowl. For fried rice it is best to use medium to small size shrimp. These cooks faster and incorporate evenly with the rice.

3)You can season the prawns the way you like. I like to season with soy sauce. You can add crushed garlic and chillies in this too.

4)Add some salt, chilli powder. I like to use chilli powder for the red colour it gives when the prawn is cooked.

5)Add a bit of lemon juice to brighten the flavour. it also helps remove the smell from the prawn.

6)Mix the prawns with the ingredients and allow it to marinate for 15 minutes.

Cooking shrimp

7)Heat some oil in a saute pan or frying pan. Let the oil gets hot. Now place the prawns one by one in the oil. Let it get a golden sear on the prawns. Shrimp doesn't take too much time to cook at all, it takes maximum 2 minutes on each side.

8)Once the bottom side is cooked, flip the shrimp over and cook on other side too. Now the shrimps are cooked. Dont over cook the prawns else it will turn rubbery.

Once the prawns are cooked, gently remove them to a plate and set aside.

Making Prawn Fried Rice

9)Now in the same frying pan, add in chopped ginger, garlic, onions and bell peppers. These are the aromatics.

10)Stir fry these for 2 minutes till cooked.

11)Now let's add the seasoning and sauces. Add in salt, sugar and black pepper powder into the onion mix.

12)Add in soy sauce and mix well.

13)Add in some lemon juice and mix well.

14)This is your fried rice mix. You can add any chopped vegetables at this point.

Pro Tip: Steam or pre cook chopped carrots, green beans, green peas, sweet corn and toss them at this point for added colour and nutrition.

15)Add in cooked prawns and mix well.

16)Toss the prawns along with the onions and let it cook together for a minute.

17)Add in the cooked rice. Leftover rice is best, make sure the rice is cold when you add in the pan.

18)Toss the rice with the prawns till it is well coated.

19)Add in a handful of spring onions and toss well.

20)Serve hot.

Expert Tips

• Cooking Rice is key for a perfect fried rice. Cook rice till it is fluffy. You can cook rice the day before and make fried rice the next day. It will give you perfect fried rice.
• Don't over cook the prawns else it will turn rubbery.
• You can adjust the soy sauce, salt, sugar, black pepper and vinegar as per your taste.
• Instead of using fresh prawns and cooking it yourself, you can use frozen cooked shrimp. make sure you use small to medium size shrimp.
• Steamed, pre cooked vegetables like carrot, green beans, green peas or sweet corn can be used. 
• Cooked chicken can be mixed with the fried rice. 

FAQ

How to make shrimp fried rice?

There is no particular recipe in making prawn fried rice, all you need is some shrimp, cooked rice, seasonings, vegetables and aromatics, within few minutes you have a perfect bowl of shrimp fried rice.

Can you share simple prawn fried rice recipe?

making fried rice is super easy. I started by making a marinating prawns and cooked them separately. Later I mixed it with the rice, because I want the prawn to have as much flavour as the rice has.

How to make shrimp fried rice without vegetables?

adding vegetables to rice shrimp meal is optional. you can add or skip if you wish.

Can we add pineapple in shrimp fried rice?

For a tropical Hawaiian inspired shrimp and rice dish, you can include chopped pineapple into the fried rice for a sweet flavour. Traditionally pineapples pair amazing with shrimp. For making a Hawaii inspired fried rice, add in chopped pineapples in the end of the stir fry. You can grill pineapple and add it into the rice and shrimp dish. Try presenting the dish in hollowed halved pineapple for a restaurant style touch.

What to serve with shrimp fried rice?

I served my fried rice with a spicy chilli prawns but it taste equally delicious on its own with a fried egg on top or with my dragon prawns.

More Fried Rice to Try

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