Chef Yoon Hye-shin’s Savory Shrimp-Fermented Paste Fried Rice
The Best Cooking Secrets: Shrimp-Fermented Paste Fried Rice
Fried rice is a perfect dish to make when you have no side dishes available. You can create a delicious fried rice with just a few ingredients. Today, we’ll be making the Shrimp-Fermented Paste Fried Rice from ‘The Best Cooking Secrets,’ a recipe by Chef Yoon Hye-shin. This recipe uses shrimp-fermented paste to add a wonderful umami flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 bowls of cold rice (approx. 400g)
- 2 eggs
- 100g carrot
- 60g green onion
- 2 tsp shrimp-fermented paste
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- Pinch of salt
- 3 Tbsp canola oil
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, wash and prepare all the vegetables for the fried rice. Dice the carrot and green onion into very small pieces so they blend well into the rice. Finely dicing them will improve the texture and ensure they mix evenly.
Step 2
Cold, day-old rice is best for fried rice. Rice that has been cooked and cooled loses some moisture, making it fluffier and less likely to clump when stir-fried. One bowl of rice typically weighs about 200g, which can be a helpful reference.
Step 3
Heat your pan and add about 3 tablespoons of canola oil. Add the minced garlic and the chopped green onions. Stir-fry over medium-low heat to create fragrant green onion oil. Once the green onions are lightly golden and fragrant, remove them from the pan and set aside in a separate bowl. This fragrant oil will significantly enhance the flavor of your fried rice.
Step 4
Crack the 2 eggs into a bowl, add a tiny pinch of salt, and whisk them well. Lightly oil a clean pan and heat over medium heat. Pour in the whisked eggs. Before the eggs are fully cooked, stir them with chopsticks to create scrambled eggs. Avoid overcooking; they should remain soft so they can easily incorporate into the fried rice without forming large clumps.
Step 5
Using the same pan where you made the green onion oil (or a clean pan with about 1 tablespoon of added canola oil), add the stir-fried green onions and the finely diced carrots. Sauté until the carrots become slightly translucent. Stir-frying them well will bring out their natural sweetness and soften them.
Step 6
Once the carrots are somewhat cooked, add the 2 bowls of cold rice. Use a spatula to break up any clumps and stir-fry the rice. As the rice begins to look drier and more separated, add the scrambled eggs you prepared earlier and mix them in with the rice. Finally, add the 2 teaspoons of shrimp-fermented paste. As you stir-fry, the shrimp paste will release its juices, seasoning the rice.
Step 7
The unique salty and deeply savory flavor of shrimp-fermented paste elevates the fried rice to another level. Stir-fry over high heat until the rice grains are slightly crisp for an even better taste. Continue to stir and mix until all ingredients are well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed by adding a little more shrimp paste or a pinch of salt.
Step 8
And there you have it! Chef Yoon Hye-shin’s delicious Shrimp-Fermented Paste Fried Rice is complete. Enjoy this simple yet incredibly flavorful dish for a satisfying meal.
