Jokes and Shrimps {shrimp fried rice}

I am aware that my last two posts have involved shrimp; I swear that we cook other things around here. But it’s not lost on me that perhaps I should revisit the theme of this blog and make it shrimp-specific. That would work except in the dessert arena. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to make shrimp flan or a decadent molten chocolate and shrimp cake. Mmm. Molten shrimp cake.

Speaking of shrimp, we have our own new little shrimp around here. It’s nice to finally balance things out on my camera. Rather than endless photos of zucchini and noodles, I now can flip through my camera and find at least a handful of cute baby pictures. I thought it might be fun to see how blogging goes on what is best described as “fragmented” sleep. Good luck deciphering this recipe or the nonsense surrounding it in the paragraphs.

This recipe is from the March issue of Bon Appetit. We don’t usually make many Asian-influenced dishes around here but this one has inserted itself into the monthly rotation and is really easy and really delicious (and versatile). I found that you could do all the prep in advance (nap time is nice for this – not yours, the baby’s. It’s not wise to sleep and dice.) and throw it together in the evening when things begin to unravel at home. Feel free to substitute chicken or beef or even tofu for the shrimp if you’re so inclined. I realize not everyone has the same love affair with crustaceans as I do.

Here’s the low down:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 lb. peeled deveined shrimp
• Kosher salt
• 4 scallions, whites chopped, greens thinly sliced (keep whites and greens separate)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced or grated
• 3 cups cold cooked brown rice
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup frozen edamame, thawed
• 3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Since stir fry comes together very quickly, regardless of when you prep things, you need to have everything ready to go before you start cooking. Your counter will look a little like the photo above. You’ll want to season your shrimp with salt and pepper at least. I use this.

The one thing you definitely will need to prep in advance is the rice. It’s best if it has time to sit and cool in the fridge for at least a few hours. Maybe you even have leftover rice in there already – even better. I think that helps it to dry out a bit and get ready to be stir fried with all the other goodness later.

When you’re ready to cook, get everything out and heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. I’d use a wok if I didn’t have a crappy electric stove. If you’ve got a gas range, I recommend; otherwise, stick with a flat-bottomed pan.

Dump your shrimp into the hot oil and cook on each side for about 90 seconds.

After about three minutes and once they get some color on them, pull them out of the pan and set aside. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil and add the garlic, ginger and scallion whites. Cook for about a minute before adding the rice to the pan. You may want to add a bit more oil at this point – I generally do. Cook the rice for 3-4 minutes until it begins to crisp up and then push it to one side of the pan and add the two beaten eggs. Cook those and gradually incorporate them into the rice.

Now add the sauces, edamame, peas and shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes until the veggies are warmed through and everything is evenly distributed.

And that’s it.

Serve it up with the scallions on top. I forgot to do that before I took the pictures. Give me a break – I’m operating on battery power these days.