STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
This is the first of a 3 part feature I will be writing on Chinese Fried Rice done in two ways. The humble Prawn and Egg Fried rice boasts fewer ingredients than the more elaborate Yang Zhou Fried Rice, but this dish is equally tasty.
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TRICK OF THE TRADE
The yellowish colour and eggy flavour of the rice comes from adding beaten egg directly to the rice and cooking it to 90% doneness, so that the rice remains moist. This special characteristic gives the dish its name – Prawn and Egg Fried Rice (虾仁蛋饭).
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DISH
- It’s simple to make, as it requires fewer ingredients than the popular Yang Zhou fried rice.
- The egg flavoured rice, with its wok hei flavour, makes the rice addictive to eat!
HOW TO MAKE PRAWN AND EGG FRIED RICE?
- Wash the rice and add 1 3/4 cups of water and cook in the rice cooker one day before.
- Once cooked, use a chopstick to loosen the rice and keep it in the fridge until the next day
- Remove shells from the prawn and remove the waste from the back of the prawns. Wash and pat dry. If you are not sure how to, watch my video demonstration of how to clean prawns first.
- Place the prawns in a bowl and marinate with prawn marinade ingredients (sugar, salt, sesame oil and egg white) and mix well. Set aside.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl and add a pinch of salt
- Wash the spring onion and cut into small pieces
- Wash the lettuce without cutting it. Spin dry and chill in the fridge for later use.
- Loosen the day old rice using chopstick.
- Peel and cut the shallots into thin slices
- Add 3 TBsp of oil in a wok over medium high heat. Fry the shallots till they are golden brown.
- Remove all the shallot into a bowl, leaving the oil in the wok.
- Add in the chopped garlic and stir fry until fragrant.
- Pour in the cooked rice and quickly toss it with the spatula upwards from the bottom of the wok, mixing the garlic with the rice so that the garlic at the bottom of the wok won’t get burnt.
- While stir frying, break up the lumpy rice by apply pressure to the lumps with the back of the ladle. A little water can be sprinkled on the rice to make it easier to loosen the lumps.
- Add salt and mix well. Fry for about 10 mins or until it is aromatic. Remove and transfer back into the rice pot for later use.
- Add 1 Tbsp of oil in the wok and sauteed the prawns until just cooked.
- Pour in the rice and mix well tossing the mixture with the spatula from bottom up. Add light soya sauce and sesame oil and mix well.
- Lastly pour in the beaten egg to the rice mixture slowly and tossing it constantly at the same time to ensure all the rice is evenly coated with egg.
- Transfer the rice on a platter. Garnish with fried shallots and spring onion. Add a dash of pepper if desired. Serve with lettuce.
COOKING TIPS
- Make sure the garlic and shallots are not burnt while cooking
- Add the beaten egg directly to the rice to give the rice a yellowish color and also giving it a more eggy flavour to the rice.
- Make sure that the egg is not overcooked. It should be 90 % cooked so that the rice is moist and bright yellow.
- The prawns must be cooked properly or they will be very mushy and powdery.
RICE TIPS
- The rice must be cooked one day before. If the rice is cooked just before frying, it will turn out disastrous as the rice will be very lumpy and mushy. When the rice is freshly cooked, it is still moist and soft and it will be impossible to break up the lumps. Good fried rice must be grainy.
- If the rice is hard, add more water during the frying before the egg is added to the rice.
- Wet the chopsticks or your hands when you loosen the lumpy rice so that it will not stick to the chopsticks or your hands.
- Do not use a scoop to loosen the lumps because it tends to break the grain in small bits.
STORING TIPS
- Wondering what to do with your leftover prawns? See my short video demonstration on how I like to pack my prawns for freezer storage in an organised and space-efficient way.
DIETARY MODIFICATIONS
- Fish-Free: No modifications needed.
- Gluten-Free: Check to ensure your sauces are gluten free
- Nut-Free: No modifications needed.
- Shellfish-Free: No modifications needed.
WATCH OUR VIDEO for how to make this recipe!
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Prawn and Egg Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups white rice
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 350 gm big prawns
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 stalk spring onion
- 1 iceberg lettuce
- 20 shallots
- 4 tbsp oil
- 1.5 tsp garlic
- 1 tbsp light soya sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Marinade for prawns
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 egg white
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- a pinch salt
Instructions
PREPARATION METHOD
- Wash the rice and add 1 3/4 cups of water and cook in the rice cooker one day before.
- Once cooked, use a chopstick to loosen the rice and keep it in the fridge until the next day
- Remove shells from the prawn and remove the waste from the back of the prawns. Wash and pat dry. If you are not sure how to do this, you can watch my video demonstration of how to clean prawns first.
- Place the prawns in a bowl and marinate with prawn marinade ingredients (sugar, salt, sesame oil and egg white) and mix well. Set aside.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl and add a pinch of salt
- Wash the spring onion and cut into small pieces
- Wash the lettuce without cutting it. Spin dry and chill in the fridge for later use.
- Loosen the day old rice using chopstick.
- Peel and cut the shallots into thin slices
COOKING METHOD
- Add 3 TBsp of oil in a wok over medium high heat. Fry the shallots till they are golden brown.
- Remove all the shallot into a bowl, leaving the oil in the wok.
- Add in the chopped garlic and stir fry until fragrant.
- Pour in the cooked rice and quickly toss it with the spatula upwards from the bottom of the wok, mixing the garlic with the rice so that the garlic at the bottom of the wok won’t get burnt.
- While stir frying, break up the lumpy rice by apply pressure to the lumps with the back of the ladle. A little water can be sprinkled on the rice to make it easier to loosen the lumps.
- Add salt and mix well. Fry for about 10 mins or until it is aromatic. Remove and transfer back into the rice pot for later use.
- Add 1 Tbsp of oil in the wok and sauteed the prawns until just cooked.
- Pour in the rice and mix well tossing the mixture with the spatula from bottom up. Add light soya sauce and sesame oil and mix well.
- Lastly pour in the beaten egg to the rice mixture slowly and tossing it constantly at the same time to ensure all the rice is evenly coated with egg.
- Transfer the rice on a platter. Garnish with fried shallots and spring onion. Add a dash of pepper if desired. Serve with lettuce.
Notes
COOKING TIPS
- Make sure the garlic and shallots are not burnt while cooking
- Add the beaten egg directly to the rice to give the rice a yellowish color and also giving it a more eggy flavour to the rice.
- Make sure that the egg is not overcooked. It should be 90 % cooked so that the rice is moist and bright yellow.
- The prawns must be cooked properly or they will be very mushy and powdery.
RICE TIPS
- The rice must be cooked one day before. If the rice is cooked just before frying, it will turn out disastrous as the rice will be very lumpy and mushy. When the rice is freshly cooked, it is still moist and soft and it will be impossible to break up the lumps. Good fried rice must be grainy.
- If the rice is hard, add more water during the frying before the egg is added to the rice.
- Wet the chopsticks or your hands when you loosen the lumpy rice so that it will not stick to the chopsticks or your hands.
- Do not use a scoop to loosen the lumps because it tends to break the grain in small bits.
STORING TIPS
- Wondering what to do with your leftover prawns? See my short video demonstration on how I like to pack my prawns for freezer storage in an organised and space-efficient way.