Shrimp and shiitake fried rice

Another fried rice recipe in this blog might seem redundant but there is something very new with this recipe. I added grated ginger to the dish.

Why grated ginger? My kids hate biting into pieces of ginger although they do enjoy the flavor of ginger itself. By grating the ginger, they get only the wonderful flavors and aromas — pungent, piquant and spicy. I sampled a small spoonful of the shrimp and shiitake mushroom fried rice — just a small spoonful because I am allergic to shrimps — and it tasted great.

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients :

6 c. of cooked rice, cooled
300 g. of shelled shrimps, each shrimp cut into 3 pieces
2 onions (or 4 shallots), peeled and chopped
1 head of garlic, peeled and minced
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 small carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 fresh corn cob, shredded (see illustration in my corn muffins post)
a bunch of onion leaves, cut into one-inch lengths
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms (caps only), sliced thinly
3 tbsps. of oyster sauce
2 eggs, beaten
4 tbsps. of cooking oil
a drizzle of sesame seed oil
salt
pepper

This is a stir-fried dish so remember to keep the heat on high.

Heat the cooking oil in a wok. Add the carrots and corn kernels. Cook for about 2 minutes over high heat, stirring often. Add the onions, garlic and ginger; stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the shrimps and shiitake mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, just until the shrimps turn pink.

Add the rice. Season with more salt and pepper. Pour in the oyster sauce. Cook, stirring, until the rice is heated through. Make a well at the center and pour in the eggs. Whisk the egg with chopsticks or a spatula as they cook so that the bottom does not burn leaving the top still runny. When soft solids form, sprinkle the onion leaves over the rice and stir everything together for about a minute. Turn off the heat, drizzle the sesame seed oil over the fried rice then stir.

Serve hot.