Shrimp Fried Rice

Armed with a pot of leftover rice, I tried my hand at shrimp fried rice tonight.  The results were impressive!  It was loaded with veggies and didn't leave a greasy film in your mouth.  (Yuck!)  Mr. Ommy Noms even declared tonight's dish the best fried rice he's ever eaten.  (And he's eaten a LOT of takeout!)

Disclaimer:  The sesame oil adds really great flavor to the dish.  If you're not familiar with sesame oil, be advised that it is quite strong and a little goes a long way.  The 1/2 teaspoon was perfect for us, but you may want to use a little less if it's your first time cooking with sesame oil.

Fun fact:  My former roommate once cooked a stir-fry entirely in sesame oil.  We ate at Pizza Hut that night.

Heavily adapted from Allrecipes

INGREDIENTS

1 lb shrimp
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1/2 medium onion, very finely diced
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups cold, cooked rice
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 green onions, finely sliced

DIRECTIONS

1.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes, or until shrimp are almost cooked through.  Remove from heat and drain.  Rinse shrimp with cold water to stop the cooking process.*  Peel and cut into small chunks. 

2.  Add 1 tbsp oil to a wok or skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is shimmering but not smoking.  Add onion and cook until tender, stirring frequently.  Add peas and carrots and stir-fry until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Add shrimp and stir-fry 1 minute.  Add eggs and stir-fry until cooked through.  Remove mixture to a plate and set aside.

3.  Wipe out wok or skillet with a paper towel.  Add remaining oil.  Heat oil until shimmering.  Add rice.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Return shrimp mixture to the skillet, stirring to combine with the rice.  Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and minced garlic and stir to combine.

4.  Garnish each serving with sliced green onion.

*Instead of boiling the shrimp, you can choose to stir-fry it along with the onion.