Spicy Thai-style fried rice in 30 minutes or less (seriously!)

I love spicy Thai fried rice and I’ve found a way to make it in under 3o minutes right at home for a fifth of the price. The trick to getting this flavorful dish from stovetop to table in no time flat is to pre-cook white rice and freeze it in Ziploc freezer bags for use later. Pre-made rice is the secret ingredient in any Asian establishment- ensuring a slight sear and no worries about mushy rice! If you don’t have pre-made rice, don’t despare! You can use fresh-made rice- just turn up the heat for a bit when you add the rice.

Finding the right seasoning spice is also critical. This recipe is not traditional because many of the traditional ingredients can be hard to find outside of an Asian grocery store. Thankfully, I’ve found that Japanese Seven Spice (also called Togarashi) has the right blend of heat and savory to make this rice flavorful and impactful. McCormick’s makes the perfect Japanese Seven Spice and is fairly common. If you can’t find it, there are various Thai seasoning blends available at your supermarket as well. If you can’t find either, you can make your own blend in pinch: 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe calls for shrimp, but you can add whatever protein you prefer. If you don’t want to make this a main course, you can also serve it as a side for 6-8 people, versus 4 servings as a main dish.

Spicy Fried Rice with Shrimp (Thai Style)

Queen Bee Meg

Spicy, Thai-style fried rice is one of my favorite take-out orders, but it's just as simple (and ⅕ the cost!) if I do it at home. This recipe calls for pre-made (preferably frozen) white rice, which makes it a super-fast and favorable 30 minute or less meal. If you are making rice fresh, add 20 minutes or so to your cook time. Thai-style fried rice is spicy but finding the right spices can be tricky. I've found that Japanese Togarashi (also called Japanese Seven Spice) does the trick perfectly. McCormick's makes a spot-on spice blend. If you can find a spicy Thai spice, that works too. Otherwise, find a generic Asian seasoning with ginger and garlic, then add some red pepper flakes for heat. This recipe calls for shrimp, but you can add in whatever protein you prefer. As a main course, this recipe serves 4. As a side dish, 6-8.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Thai

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups cooked white rice, preferably frozen (see note)
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 TBSP neutral oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 5-6 shallots, sliced with green and white parts, separated
• ½ onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ TBSP lite soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 1 ½ TBSP Togarashi seasoning (also called Japanese Seven Spice) or Thai seasoning (not a curry based seasoning)
• 1 small tomato, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Heat oil in a large pan or wok over medium high heat. Add onion and white parts of scallions. Cook for 1 minute until slightly fragrant.
• Add shrimp to one side of pan and let cook without disturbing for 1-2 minutes.
• Flip shrimp to other side. Add beaten eggs to the other side of pan and swirl with fork to lightly scramble. Let cook 2-3 minutes.
• Add garlic, rice, soy sauce (or coconut aminos), Togarashi/Japanese Seven Spice/Thai seasoning. Toos to thoroughly combine rice, shrimp, aromatics, and eggs.
• Allow to cook 3-5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with sliced tomatos and green parts of scallions.

Notes

I love to make several big batches of rice and then freeze them flat in freezer Ziploc bags for use later. They store beautifully, thaw in minutes… and are the secret ingredient to the perfect quick fried rice. Using “old” rice ensures a crisp, non-mushy rice dish that soaks up all the umami flavors you can throw into the pan. Plus. using pre-cooked, frozen fried rice makes this a meal that goes from stove to table in well under 30 minutes. If you don’t have pre-cooked rice on hand, you can still make this dish without issue. Just make sure to turn up the heat when you add the rice to give it a good sear. 

Keyword 30 min or less, Rice, Seafood, Shrimp, Spicy