Shrimp Fried Rice
- 2 cups rice, cooked
- ½ cup carrots, chopped
- ½ cup bell pepper, chopped
- ½ cup white onion, chopped
- ½ cup water chestnuts, sliced
- 1 cup shrimp, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 eggs
- 1½ Tbsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- Heat sesame oil in a large skillet on medium heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk eggs and set aside.
- Once the oil is hot, add onions and let them sweat until translucent.
- Add garlic. After about a minute or two, add the other vegetables.
- Push the veggie mixture to the side and add eggs to cook through.
- After the eggs are fully cooked, push to the side and then add the shrimp to cook through.
- Add rice and soy sauce to the pan.
- Stir to combine and mix all the ingredients together.
We have a mini rice cooker that has followed me since my single-living-apartment-days and still works perfectly. I easily made some white rice in the morning to prep for use as the base in this dish. You can use whatever vegetables you like - most traditional are green peas or green bell peppers with onions and carrots. I do not like peas, so didn't use any, and only had a pretty orange bell pepper to use along with some old carrots. I would have added broccoli or scallions to give some green pops of color, but frankly it didn't matter, as long as it tasted good. If you don't have sesame oil on hand, you can use regular vegetable oil instead. But I find the sesame oil adds that Asian "essence." Overall, this dish was pretty easy to whip up and is a great way to use up old leftover rice or veggies. Since it has shrimp in it, this fried rice can be eaten as a meal in itself. (In fact, I realized this morning that Keith took all the leftover Shrimp Fried Rice to work for lunch. Harumph.) Or try it with your favorite chicken or beef dish for a great Asian meal.
