Sweet Chilli Shrimp with Egg Fried Rice

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The shrimp stay juicy inside with crisp, caramelised edges.
• The sweet chilli sauce is sticky without being too thick.
• The peppers add colour and a bit of bite.
• The fried rice is filling but still simple.
• Everything cooks quickly once the chopping is done.
• It works well as a weeknight dinner but still feels like a proper treat.

Ingredients

This serves about 4 people.

For the sweet chilli shrimp

• 500g raw peeled shrimp
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

For the sauce

• 4 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes or chilli paste, optional
• 2 tablespoons water

For the egg fried rice

• 3 cups cooked cold white rice
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup finely diced carrot
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of black pepper

To finish

• Sliced red chilli
• Extra spring onions
• Sesame seeds

A Few Things Before You Start

Cold rice is much easier to fry than freshly cooked rice.

Fresh rice is softer and tends to clump together.

Day-old rice is ideal, but rice cooked earlier in the day and cooled properly works too.

For the shrimp, pat them dry before coating them in cornstarch.

That little step helps them brown properly instead of steaming in the pan.

And don’t overcrowd the pan.

Shrimp cook fast.

If too many go in at once, you lose those lovely golden edges.

Instructions

1. Make the sauce

• Add the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, chilli and water to a small bowl.
• Stir until combined.
• Set aside.

The sauce should be pourable at this stage.

It thickens once it hits the hot pan.

2. Prepare the shrimp

• Pat the shrimp dry with kitchen paper.
• Add them to a bowl.
• Sprinkle over the cornstarch, salt and black pepper.
• Toss until lightly coated.

You don’t need a heavy coating.

Just enough to help the outside go golden and give the sauce something to cling to.

3. Cook the shrimp

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat.
• Add the shrimp in a single layer.
• Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• Remove once golden and just cooked through.

Work in batches if your pan is crowded.

The shrimp should still feel juicy in the middle.

4. Cook the peppers

• Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan.
• Add the red and yellow peppers.
• Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the spring onions and cook for another minute.

The peppers should soften slightly but still keep some bite.

5. Add the sauce

• Return the shrimp to the pan.
• Pour in the sauce.
• Toss everything together over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Cook until the sauce turns glossy and clings to the shrimp.

Don’t leave it sitting too long.

Sweet chilli sauce can go from sticky to burnt faster than you expect.

6. Make the egg fried rice

Use a separate large frying pan or wok.

• Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the diced carrot and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the peas.
• Push the vegetables to one side of the pan.
• Crack in the eggs.
• Scramble them until just set.
• Add the cold rice.
• Toss everything together.

Break up any clumps with your spatula as you go.

7. Season the rice

• Add the soy sauce.
• Add the sesame oil.
• Season lightly with salt and black pepper.
• Stir in the spring onions.
• Fry for another 2 to 3 minutes.

The rice should look dry and fluffy, not wet or greasy.

8. Plate it up

• Spoon the egg fried rice onto each plate.
• Add the sweet chilli shrimp alongside.
• Spoon over a little extra sauce from the pan.
• Scatter over sesame seeds.
• Finish with sliced red chilli and extra spring onions.

Serve straight away.

How to Get Crispy Shrimp

The cornstarch helps a lot.

You don’t need batter here.

A very light coating gives the shrimp a thin crust that browns well and stays crisp enough to hold the sticky sauce.

The pan also needs to be properly hot.

If the shrimp release loads of water, either the pan was too cool or there were too many in at once.

Give them room.

It makes a bigger difference than people think.

Getting the Sauce Right

This sauce should coat the shrimp rather than pool underneath them.

Sweet chilli sauce does most of the work, but soy sauce keeps it savoury and rice vinegar stops it from becoming too sugary.

Honey makes it glossy.

Garlic and ginger stop it tasting like something straight out of a bottle.

If you like more heat, add chilli paste or extra fresh chilli.

If you don’t, leave it out.

The base sauce still has plenty of flavour.

The Fried Rice

I keep this version pretty simple.

Egg, peas, carrots and spring onion are enough.

The shrimp are already rich and saucy, so the rice doesn’t need ten different ingredients competing for attention.

The main thing is texture.

Cold rice fries better because the grains stay separate.

Fresh hot rice tends to go soft and clumpy.

Still edible.

Just not quite the same.

Easy Swaps

You can change a few things without ruining the whole idea.

Try:

• Chicken instead of shrimp
• Green bell pepper instead of yellow
• Pineapple chunks for extra sweetness
• Broccoli for more veg
• Brown rice instead of white
• Chilli garlic sauce instead of extra chilli flakes

Just keep the sauce fairly balanced.

Too much sweet chilli and it can get syrupy very quickly.

Storage

Store the shrimp and rice separately if possible.

The shrimp will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

The fried rice will keep for up to 3 days if cooled and stored properly.

Reheat the rice until piping hot.

For the shrimp, use a hot frying pan for a couple of minutes rather than overdoing them in the microwave.

They stay much nicer that way.

Q&A

Can I use frozen shrimp?

Yes.

Defrost them completely and pat them very dry before coating them.

Can I make the sauce ahead?

Yes.

Mix it up to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge.

Can I use fresh rice?

You can, but let it cool properly first.

Cold rice gives you a much better fried rice texture.

Is this very spicy?

Not really.

Sweet chilli sauce is usually more sweet than hot.

Add more chilli if you want a proper kick.

Can I make it without cornstarch?

Yes.

The shrimp just won’t get quite as crisp.

Can I add more vegetables?

Definitely.

Broccoli, sugar snap peas or mushrooms would all work.

Can I use chicken instead?

Yes.

Use bite-sized chicken pieces and cook them fully before adding the sauce.

Final Thoughts

This is one of those plates that disappears fast.

The shrimp are sticky, glossy and just spicy enough, with little bits of pepper and spring onion caught in the sauce.

The fried rice keeps things simple and gives you somewhere for all that extra sauce to go.

And once the sesame seeds and fresh chilli hit the top, it really does look like you went to more trouble than you actually did.

Which is always a win.