1/4–1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice (optional but recommended)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 large carrots peeled and finely chopped
1 1/4 cups frozen peas
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
3 green onions chopped
3 large eggs
4 cups cooked rice chilled
3–5 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
Salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Toss the dried shrimp lightly with Chinese Five Spice.
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a heavy skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook until pink, flipping halfway through the cooking process, approximately 1-1 1/2 minutes per side. If necessary, work in batches. Plate, cover, and keep warm.
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a heavy skillet or work over medium-high heat. Add chopped carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring several times. Add the peas and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Add garlic, ginger, and green onions; cook for 30 seconds. Push the veggies to the side of the pan. Add eggs and cook to scramble. Remove all of that to a plate, cover, and keep warm.
Add 1-1 1/2 cups cold rice to a skillet over medium-high heat in an even layer. Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce. Cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking process. Work in batches, plating, covering, and keeping warm after each batch.
Bring everything back to the skillet and heat on low for about 1-1 1/2 minutes, stirring several times. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
NOTES
Everything moves really fast with stir fry, so be prepared. Have everything you need close by and in some cooking order.
You don’t have to use Chinese Five Spice, but it is delicious.
For best results, use long-grain leftover rice that has been well chilled. Jasmine rice works very well for stir fry. Fresh rice has a lot of moisture in it, and it will stick and clump.
Don’t sweat perfection on this. Stir fry has room for slight errors in cooking time and is supposed to be fun.
The rice will crackle, sizzle, and pop when placed in the hot skillet and fried. That is precisely what it is supposed to do.
If you want to add different vegetables, try broccoli, bean sprouts, mushrooms, or zucchini.
This recipe also works well with other proteins like chicken or ham.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power.
To freeze, first cool completely. Then, spoon into a sturdy freezer container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave at reduced power.
