- Updated: December 5, 2020
This is an enhanced Chinese Egg Fried Rice recipe (蛋炒饭).
A basic egg fried rice is a quick and simple fried rice dish that is easy to prepare. You only need to use eggs, shallots, garlic, and some light seasoning ingredients.
This enhanced version includes prawns and some vegetables.
I used Basmati rice as it has a low to medium glycaemic index and is fibre rich. You can read more about the health benefits of Basmati rice on the WebMD website.
I added prawns, carrots and long beans for more protein and fibre. The prawns can be substituted with chicken or any other protein of your choice.
Notes
To cook Basmati rice, rinse with water 2 times, then soak in water for 30 minutes. After that, use 1 cup of water to cook 1 cup of rice.
Always use rice that has cooked and cooled down for at least for 2 hours. Do not use freshly cooked rice.
Use medium to long grain rice. Do not use short grain, sushi rice or glutinous rice.
Try not to use a non-stick wok for your fried rice. Preferably use a steel wok as you need a hot wok for the better results.
Use a big wok to fry your rice. This will give you space to fry the rice and ingredients.
Get ready all the ingredients near your stove before frying.
Add seasonings at the last of cooking to prevent the rice and eggs to stick to the wok.
Ingredients
Main ingredients:
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup basmati rice or 4 cups cooked rice, cooled
4 shallots, diced
4 cloves garlic
2 stalks spring onion, chopped (optional) 3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large carrot diced into little cubes.
100 g long beans cut into small pieces about the same size as the carrot.
16 medium-sized (200 g) prawns. You can substitute this with chicken cut into thin slices or cubes, or any other protein of your choice.
Seasonings:
½ tbsp salt
½ tbsp ground white pepper
3 tbsp light soy sauce
Method
Preparing the ingredients before frying
- Cook the rice and get it ready two hours before frying, allowing it to cool. Run through the rice and loosen it to remove any lumps.
- Peel and clean prawns, removing the shell leaving only the tails intact. Remove the lines (devein) located at the top and bottom of the prawns. Marinate the unshelled and deveined prawns in salt and pepper and lime juice for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Chop the carrot into ½ cm cubes. Chop the green beans into the same size as the carrot pieces.
- Chop the shallots and garlic.
- Chop the spring onions.
Preparing the prawns and eggs
- Heat up ½ tbsp oil in the wok on a medium flame.
- Sauté the prawns for 5 minutes or until cooked. Remove the prawns to a plate.
- Crack 4 eggs into a bowl and mix. Add some pepper.
- Heat up ½ tbsp oil in the wok on medium to high flame.
- Add in the eggs and scramble until egg is just set. Do not overcook the eggs.
- Remove cooked eggs to the bowl.
Frying the rice
- Reheat wok with oil and set at high flame.
- Throw in the shallots and garlic.
- Fry for 2 minutes or until golden.
- Add in the carrots and green beans. Add some water so that the vegetables will not be too dry.
- Fry for 3 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.
- Add in the cooked rice.
- Fry the rice for about 2 to 3 minutes until heated through. Use the ladle to gently tap and break up the rice or any clumps.
- Add scrambled eggs and mix with the rice.
- Keep stirring until the rice is evenly cooked and coated with eggs for about 2 minutes.
- Next, pour in the soy sauce around the edges of wok and give it a quick stir fry.
- After that, add in the cooked prawns and continue to stir fry, mixing well.
- Constantly turn the rice, otherwise the rice will burn.
- Add in salt and pepper and give it a quick mix.
- Lastly, add the chopped spring onions.
- Continue to stir fry and mix until well combined.
- Switch off the flame, throw in another dash of pepper and serve hot.
Prep Time: 30 mins. This excludes the time for cooking the rice which is prepared ahead of time.
Cook Time: 15 mins.
Total Time: 45 mins.
Cuisine inspiration: Malaysian Chinese
Servings: 4