Honey Ginger Shrimp Fried Rice with Crispy Garlic
Fast, furious, and insanely flavorful as well, this is one of the best stir frys to come out of MKL. The toasted, crispy garlic cooks in about a minute, and makes for an incredible textural addition to this dish. Mushrooms, roasted shrimp, and a secret-ingredient sauce combine in a truly special dish inspired by my favorite Chinese-style stir frys.
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 to 1.5 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup store-bought honey ginger dressing, divided (see note)
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 small onion, sliced into petals (any variety)
- 1 to 1.5 cups shredded carrots
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced, green and white parts separated
- 20 ounces sliced or whole mushrooms, wiped clean (a mix of varieties, shapes, and sizes is great)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup hoisin or Korean gochujang (for a spicy version)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 4 to 5 cups cooked Jasmine rice (four servings worth per your package’s directions)
- 1 heaping cup frozen green peas, thawed
- FOR SERVING: Chopped cilantro, sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. On a baking sheet, toss the shrimp with a little salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons of the honey ginger dressing. Roast for about 7 minutes, or just until pink and cooked through. Set aside for now.
- Add a tablespoon or so of oil to a large wok or skillet set over medium heat. Add the eggs, and scramble, cooking until just done. Transfer to a plate for now, wipe the skillet/wok clean.
- Increase the heat to med-high and add a couple more tablespoons of vegetable/canola oil. When it’s hot, add the sliced garlic and toast, stirring occasionally, just until golden (it goes fast); about a minute or two. Transfer to a small bowl for now, keeping the flavored oil in the pan.
- To the oil, add the onion, carrots, scallion whites, and the mushrooms. Stir fry for a few minutes, until the veggies are tender.Â
- Stir together the soy sauce, hoisin, remaining honey ginger dressing, sesame oil, and â…“ cup water. Add this to the pan and stir to combine. Add the cooked rice and the peas and toss to lightly crisp and warm through (push down on everything and let it fry that way to really brown and crisp up). Turn off the heat, and stir the eggs back in. Add the shrimp.
- To serve, pile the fried rice onto plates and top with the scallion greens, freshly chopped cilantro, the toasted garlic chips, and some toasted sesame seeds, if desired.Â
Notes
NOTE: If you can’t find honey ginger dressing, regular ginger dressing works, and just add 2 to 3 teaspoons of honey, or to taste. If you can’t find ginger dressing, substitute a 2-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and minced or grated. For the shrimp: toss them in half of the ginger, along with a drizzle of honey, some salt and pepper, and a tablespoon or two of oil. Roast as directed. For the sauce: Use the remaining half of the grated ginger, plus 1 tablespoon of honey, along with the soy sauce and hoisin. Proceed as directed.Â