Shrimp Fried Rice

I seem to be on a dinner idea kick, but I do have a yummy cake I'm going to try and share. This recipe was shared by a friend, Sofia, who brought it for a potluck. If you do not like shrimp, or don't eat it, then another meat can be substituted. It did comment to not use fresh cooked rice, but to use leftover rice, or cook the day before. Otherwise, it will get mushy (I did not know that.)

Sofia said she does not cook the eggs, then put it in, but beats the egg and stirs it in to be cooked. That is the way I do it also.

Often when we have made stir fried rice, it's a free-for-all of what goes in.

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz small raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

½ tsp kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

½ tsp cornstarch

3 Tbsp peanut oil, canola oil, or rice bran oil

3 eggs, beaten

2 stalks green onion, minced

4 c. leftover rice, grains separated well

¾ c. frozen peas and carrots, defrosted

1 Tbsp soy sauce or more to taste

1 tsp dark toasted sesame oil

DIRECTIONS:

Toss shrimp with salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Set aside to sit for 10 minutes at room temperature.

Heat a large sauté pan or wok on high heat .When the pan is very hot, swirl in one tablespoon of the cooking oil to coat the pan. Add shrimp to the hot pan, spreading them out quickly in a single layer. Let them fry in the pan without moving them for 30 seconds. Flip the shrimp over and let them fry on the other side for 30 more seconds or until mostly cooked through.(Do not cook them all the way) Use slotted spoon to scoop the shrimp out of the pan to a bowl

Clean out pan with a paper towel and return it to the burner. Heat the pan on high and when it is hot, swirl in the remaining tablespoon or two of oil. When the oil is shimmering hot, add the green onions and sauté for 15 seconds. Then add the leftover cooked rice to the pan and stir with the green onion to mix well.

Spread the rice onion mixture over the surface of the pan and let it fry, without moving it. You should hear the rice sizzle. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes. Use spatula to turn over the rice and spread it over the pan again. Let cook for a minute longer.

Add soy sauce, carrots, peas, shrimp, * eggs* sesame oil. Sprinkle soy sauce on the rice and stir to combine .Heat everything until sizzling hot. Add more soy sauce to taste

MY NOTES:

I left out the directions on the *eggs* but I didn't forget them. The directions said to scramble the eggs after the shrimp is done, then set aside. Sofia, and I, would scramble the eggs and slowly stir them in with the last step. When it all gets stirred, the eggs will become scrambled, so the end result is still the same.

This recipe doesn't use a lot of fresh chopped vegetables, which we would do. So when you are cooking the rice, chop up the fresh vegetables (if that's what you want) and set aside for the next day's stir fry.

ENJOY