It’s the Chinese New Year and the year of the dog. The Year of the Dog is associated with the earthly branch element. According to the Chinese horoscope, The Year of the Dog is a good time for lifestyle changes. So, if you are planning to quit smoking or change some bad eating habits, this is the time to do so. This is also the year to move or make some new business ventures.
Today, most of the Asian subcontinent is celebrating the start of the this new year with feasts around the world. I have a shrimp fried rice recipe to enjoy with these celebrations. This is a slightly spicy version of Shrimp Fried Rice and could fall more towards a Thai Fried Rice recipe, but of course the Chinese New Year is celebrated even in Thailand. Chinese or Lunar New Year is celebrated all over Thailand, and Bangkok’s Chinatown area is usually the scene of a large block party.
With that, I give you a recipe for a slightly spicy, but ever so tasty Shrimp Fried Rice. Enjoy and Happy Chinese Lunar New Year!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon of oil for frying
2 cloves garlic finely minced
About 5 - 10 shrimp, cleaned and deveined, tail on
1.5 cups of cooked Jasmine rice cooled (day old rice works well)
1 egg
½ tablespoon soy sauce
½ tablespoon oyster sauce
¾ cups frozen peas and carrots
¼ cup sliced onion
1 leaf of Chinese broccoli sliced in strips
1/8 cup basil leaves julienned
¼ finely diced green onions
2 diced Thai chilis
lime wedges
Method
- Heat a wok or frying pan on medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Once your oil is hot, add the garlic until it gets fragrant (15 seconds).
- Toss in your shrimp, and fry for about 30 seconds until shrimp start to turn pink and feels firm.
- Add ½ of rice first. Stir fry for about 10 more seconds.
- Scoot all your rice to one side of the pan, and then crack in the egg into the empty side.
- Whirl the egg, let it cook for a few seconds, and then start to mix it up with the rice and shrimp.
- Keep stir frying for about 20 seconds until the egg is fully cooked, and then add in the rest of your rice, and give it a quick stir.
- Add soy sauce and oyster sauce. Continue stir frying rice, ensuring all the sauce gets mixed in.
- Add mixed carrots and peas and stir 1 minute.
- Add Chinese broccoli, basil and onions, stir fry for another 30 seconds until the vegetables wilt, but still crisp and not fully cooked.
- Toss in green onions and Thai chili, stir it a few more seconds, and it’s ready.
- Immediately dish your fried rice onto a plate.
- Serve with a wedge of lime on the plate next to the rice.
