Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe

Rinse the jasmine rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear to remove excess starch. Drain well.

Combine 2 cups rinsed rice and 2.5 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender.

Turn off the heat and let rice sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork, transfer to a rimmed tray or large bowl, spread into an even layer to cool. Drizzle 1 tsp vegetable oil and toss gently to prevent clumping. For best results refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight (cold day-old rice is ideal).

Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. In a bowl, toss shrimp with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp ground white pepper. Set aside while preparing other ingredients.

When cooking, sear shrimp quickly in the hot wok or skillet (see cooking sequence below) until just pink and opaque, about 1–2 minutes per side depending on size. Remove shrimp from the pan and reserve; they will finish heating when combined with rice.

Prepare vegetables: finely dice onion and carrot, thaw peas and squeeze out excess water, and thinly slice scallions separating whites and greens.

Heat a large wok or heavy skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil and swirl to coat.

Add diced onion and carrot to the hot oil. Stir-fry 2–3 minutes until softened and starting to color.

Add peas and the white parts of the scallions; stir-fry 30–45 seconds until heated through. Push vegetables to one side of the wok to make space for eggs and shrimp in the cooking sequence.

Move the vegetables to the side. Add 1 tsp neutral oil to the empty area, pour in the lightly beaten eggs, scramble quickly until just set but still moist, then break into small pieces and mix with vegetables.

Push the vegetable-egg mixture to the sides, return the cooked shrimp to the wok (or cook raw shrimp now for 1–2 minutes until almost done if you didn't pre-sear). Stir briefly to combine.

Add the chilled, day-old rice to the wok in clumps; use a spatula to break them up and spread rice across the surface. Increase heat to high. Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly to heat rice through and allow some grains to get lightly toasted.

Pour the sauce evenly over the rice: 3 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp oyster sauce mixed together. Toss thoroughly so sauce coats rice and ingredients. Taste and sprinkle additional kosher salt up to 1/2 tsp total if needed and 1/8 tsp white pepper if desired.

Finish by stirring in 1 tsp sesame oil and the green parts of the scallions. Stir one last time to distribute flavors. Remove from heat.

Serve hot, portioned into 4 servings.

Optional tips

For the best texture use cold day-old rice. Work on high heat and keep ingredients moving to get a good separation of grains. Adjust soy sauce to taste; add a splash of fish sauce (1 tsp) if you want extra depth. If you prefer more savory shrimp, marinate briefly with 1/2 tsp soy sauce and 1/4 tsp cornstarch.