Shrimp Fried Rice
Aperçu
Cold cooked rice fried with shrimp, peas, egg, garlic, ginger and soy sauce. No country is claimed, and the page sits in Worldwide Recipes. That classification needs explaining, because the source disagrees with it. It is filed under Southern African Recipes and asserts that "the method of preparation for this African shrimp fried rice is absolutely different from any other variety including that of the Chinese people." The ingredient list does not bear that out. Soy sauce, ginger, garlic, peas and scrambled egg folded through cold rice is a standard Chinese-style fried rice, there is no palm oil, no bouillon cube, no scotch bonnet, no fried rice spice, none of the markers that make Nigerian or Ghanaian fried rice genuinely distinct. Those dishes exist and are on this site; this is not one of them. What the source gets right is the technique, and it is the only thing that really matters in fried rice. Cold leftover rice has dried out at the surface and lost the moisture that makes fresh rice clump. Fresh rice, however good, fries up mushy. The other correct instruction is cooking the egg first and setting it aside. Scrambled into the rice it disappears; cooked separately and folded back in, it stays in distinct pieces.
Ingrédients
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient. Cuisine, allergies et votre propre jugement
Préparation
- 1
Warm 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok. Pour in the eggs and cook to scramble, turning as needed. Take them out and set aside, cooked separately they stay in distinct pieces rather than disappearing into the rice.
- 2
Pour in the remaining oil and cook the garlic, ginger and onion for 3 minutes, turning intermittently.
- 3
Tip in the shrimp and cook over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes.
- 4
Put in the peas and cook for about 2 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- 5
Tip in the cold rice and the soy sauce, season evenly with salt and pepper, and turn everything through to combine. Cook for about 3 minutes.
- 6
Fold the eggs back in and cook for a further minute.
- 7
Serve hot.
Notes de l’Africook
- Use cold rice, ideally cooked the day before. Fresh rice fries up mushy, and this is the one thing that decides whether fried rice works.
- Cook the egg separately and fold it in at the end. Scrambled into the rice it vanishes; cooked apart it stays in visible pieces.
- Keep the heat high throughout. A cool pan gives stirred rice rather than fried rice.
- Do not overcook the shrimp. Three minutes is the outside limit and they carry on cooking in the hot rice.
- Have everything prepared before you start, fried rice cooks in minutes.
- Spread fresh rice on a tray and cool it completely if you have no leftovers.
Questions fréquentes
Is this an African fried rice?
Not really, despite the source saying so. It is filed under Southern African Recipes and claims to be entirely different from Chinese fried rice, but the ingredients say otherwise, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, peas and scrambled egg through cold rice is a standard Chinese-style fried rice. Genuinely African versions have distinct markers: Nigerian fried rice uses seasoned meat stock and fried rice spice; coconut fried rice uses coconut milk and scotch bonnet. Both are on this site.
Why does the rice have to be cold?
Because freshly cooked rice is full of surface moisture, and that moisture turns to steam in a hot pan, the grains clump together and you end up with something soft and sticky rather than fried. Rice cooked the day before and refrigerated has dried slightly at the surface and the grains separate readily. If you have no leftovers, spread fresh rice on a tray and cool it completely before using.
Why cook the egg separately?
Because egg poured into the rice and stirred through disappears into it, coating the grains rather than staying as its own element. Scrambling it first in the empty pan and folding it back in at the end keeps it in distinct, visible pieces with their own texture. It is one extra step and it is the difference between fried rice with egg in it and fried rice with egg through it.
Can I use frozen shrimp?
Yes, and most people do. Thaw them properly first and pat them thoroughly dry, frozen shrimp release a lot of water, and water in a hot wok steams the rice and stops everything browning. Cook them for the same short time; they are usually already partly cooked. Cooked shrimp added at the very end simply to warm through works too and is harder to overcook.
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