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Say hello to this little number.
A one pan, 30 minute meal that’s packed with veggies, fiber, and protein. It’s kimchi fried rice with shrimp
Are you as excited as I am?!!
I am going to go ahead and assume that you are in fact excited because who doesn’t love fried rice?!
That bonus ingredient, kimchi, is what makes this fried rice extra special. It adds a nice tangy, spicy crunch and loads of gut healthy probiotics. So in LOVE!!!
If you’re wondering what kimchi is, let me tell you:
- Kimchi is a fermented cabbage, much like sauerkraut. However, it usually has thicker pieces of cabbage, rather than being finely shredded, and it is less tangy and is usually pretty spicy. It is a common Korean side dish. It can easily be found in your local grocery store.
In conclusion, it’s super delicious and super good for you. So, why not add it to fried rice???
If you’re new to the world of kimchi, this is the perfect dish to try it in. Although, yes, you can taste the kimchi it is muted down by the other ingredients in the fried rice. As opposed to if you ate it plain on the side. My grocery store carries both a mild variety and a spicy variety of kimchi, the choice is yours.
This kimchi fried rice is packed with goodness. The rice is tender, and has all that delicious flavor you expect from a fried rice. The shrimp is juicy, fluffy scrambled eggs, and the sweet carrots and peas have a nice crunch to them, the kimchi adds a nice level of spicy fermented flavor and crunch.
Bottom line, this fried rice is all around a good meal. It’s well balanced too. It has whole grains from the rice, plenty of protein from the shrimp and scrambled eggs and it is packed with veggies and probiotics. And it only takes 30 minutes and one pan! What’s not to love about that?
Kimchi fried rice not only makes a great easy weeknight dinner, the leftovers are great re-heated making it the perfect packed lunch for work or school. Make it for dinner and save it for work the next day. Or re-heat it for dinner the following night.
Honestly, meals that allow for leftovers are my favorite because it means I get a little break from cooking. Yes, even food bloggers need breaks from cooking once in a while.
I didn’t take very many step-by-step photos of this recipe because it moves fast, and there really aren’t many steps.
How to make kimchi fried rice with shrimp:
- prepare all your ingredients – this is rule number one when making any kind of stir fry.
- cook your shrimp – saute your shrimp, remove to cool.
- cook the scrambled eggs – use the same pan to scramble eggs. Remove them once cooked.
- cook the rice – allow the rice to cook undisturbed for a few minutes. Stir and cook again.
- add the sauce, garlic, and green onions
- stir in the defrosted peas and carrots, and the kimchi – just to warm them up
- sir in the cooked shrimp and eggs
- serve – garnish with sesame seeds and more green onions
- enjoy – so so yum!
That’s the gist of it. See? You’ve got this!
I hope you enjoy this kimchi fried rice recipe as much as we did. It’s a great meal all year long, it’s warming in fall and winter, and in the spring and summer it allows you to keep the oven turned off. It’s a win win! Plus, it makes use of a lot of pantry, freezer, and refrigerator staples you likely keep on hand.
Making fried rice at home has been something I have attempted in the past, but never really got down right. Finally, this kimchi fried rice was a huge success. I fully plan to make more fried rice variations in the future, stay tuned.
More shrimp recipes you will love:
- Mexican shrimp cocktail
- sheet pan pineapple shrimp fajitas with avocado crema
- shrimp spring roll bowls with tahini sauce
- spicy sausage and shrimp creole
- healthy fish pie
- Brussels sprouts Caesar salad with chickpea croutons and shrimp
Did you make this recipe? The biggest way you can say “thank you” is by leaving a comment down below along with a star rating. This helps my recipes to rank higher in google, and it just makes me smile to hear from you. Thanks, friends!
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Kimchi Fried Rice with Shrimp (30 Minutes)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 to 6 1x
- Category: entree, seafood, eggs, meal prep,lunch, dinner, one pan, 30 minutes
- Method: saute
- Cuisine: gluten free, dairy free, healthy
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Kimchi fried rice is restaurant quality fried rice that you can make at home. It’s packed with probiotics from the kimchi. It only takes 30 minutes, and one pan to make, perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- 4 cups leftover rice (see notes)
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined and patted dry
- salt and pepper
- 4 eggs, whisked
- 3 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- optional: 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- optional: 2 to 3 teaspoons sriracha
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 green onions, green and white parts separated and sliced
- 10 ounce bag of frozen peas and carrots, defrosted
- 1 14 ounce container of spicy kimchi
Optional toppings:
- green onion
- sesame seeds
- sriracha
Instructions
- Prepare: See notes for rice. This is a stir fry recipe, things move fast so prepare all the ingredients as instructed above and set aside in separate bowls. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs and add 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil and a pinch of salt. To a small bowl combine the 2 teaspoons sesame oil, the soy sauce, the fish sauce, the sriracha, and stir to combine. For the kimchi use a strainer to drain the liquid into a bowl, reserving the liquid – add 2 tablespoons of the kimchi liquid to the bowl of sauce. If your kimchi is in large chunks cut them into smaller 1 1/2 inch pieces.
- Cook the shrimp: Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil, add the shrimp and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring once – or until they are opaque. Remove the shrimp from the pan to a plate and set aside. Use a damp paper towel to clean out the pan.
- Scramble the eggs: Turn the heat to low, melt another tablespoon of the coconut oil and add the eggs. Use a spatula to slowly push the eggs around as they cook, cook until they are no longer wet. Transfer them to a dish and set aside. Use another wet paper towel to clean out the pan, if needed.
- Cook the rice: Turn the heat up to medium high. Melt the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil. Add the rice and spread it out. Cook undisturbed for 3 minuets, the rice should be popping. Stir and cook undisturbed for another 2 minutes. Add the sauce mixture, garlic, and white parts of the sliced onion, stir and cook another 2 minutes, or until the sauce is absorbed and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Stir in the defrosted peas and carrots and the kimchi. Allow it to heat through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and the scrambled eggs, breaking up any large pieces of egg. Cook another 1 minute, or until everything is nice and hot.
- Serve: Spoon the rice into serving dishes. Garnish with the green parts of the onion and sesame seeds and serve with sriracha on the side.
Notes
Rice: Fried rice is best made with leftover day old rice. If you use fresh cooked rice you end up cooking the starches in the rice and end up with a clumpy, mushy fried rice. You have a few options to cook your rice: 1) the day before you can cook rice using any of your fave methods (stove top, instant pot, rice maker etc). You can also plan ahead and cook double the rice when you are making rice for another recipe. 2) Ask for extra rice when ordering food at a restaurant that serves rice. 3) Make microwave rice. This is what I often do. You will need 2 10 ounce bags.
Brown or white rice: I have made this recipe using both brown and white rice and while both are delicious I preferred the white rice. I would recommend going with white rice if you want that authentic restaurant fried rice taste.
Shrimp: you can sub cubed chicken breast or tofu if you want.
Soy sauce: sub coconut aminos if avoiding soy.
Gluten free: use a gluten free soy sauce.
How to re-heat leftovers: Add a splash of water to your bowl of fried rice and cover with a damp paper towel. Gently heat it in the microwave until warmed through. This method re-hydrates the rice and keeps it fluffy. Also great for packed work lunches.
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