This firecracker shrimp rice has simply flabbergasted me with its insanely delicious flavors thanks to the signature firecracker sauce! I had no idea a simple sauce can be so incredibly tasty that you can make such a stunning meal in under 30 minutes!
With an unavoidable disruption in my blogging schedule, I came back today with an extraordinary recipe to make up for the couple of days delay!
This firecracker shrimp rice will make your home dining a special affair and I can vouch without an iota of doubt that everyone in your family will love it!
I will be honest with you that before trying it on my own, I was also not expecting something as mind-blowing as it proved to be.
I was drawn to it for my favorite thing which is, surprise surprise, shrimp! LOL! The secret behind the crazy deliciousness of this firecracker shrimp rice is not in shrimp; it is in its sauce!
Let’s deep dive into it, shall we?
What is Firecracker Shrimp Rice?
You may have assumed from its name that firecracker shrimp rice is a hot & tangy fried rice topped with sweet & salty shrimps!
Well, you are partly right! This firecracker shrimp rice is indeed a hot & tangy fried rice topped with soft & succulent shrimps! But there is more to it!
It won’t be justified if we simply describe this firecracker shrimp rice as another fried rice! Nope, it’s much more than that!
Let’s talk about the secret sauce of this dish and you will know why I’m claiming it to be so special!
The firecracker sauce is an amalgamation of sweet, tangy, spicy and salty ingredients which come together to make a stir-fry sauce which is beyond perfection!
When the rice & shrimps are stir fried in this incredible sauce, they take a makeover which is way too delicious than anything I had ever imagined!
This firecracker shrimp rice truly turned out to be a pleasant surprise for both of us! My better half was just assuming it to be another shrimp fried rice!
But when he saw its gorgeousness he guessed that it might be something different. And then came the final taste test!
Voila! We both loved it so much that we had to recreate it again to share it with all of you guys as this firecracker shrimp rice is just a must-have!
Ingredients for Firecracker Shrimp Rice
Shrimps: My most favorite seafood was my key attraction at the first place when I first came across this firecracker shrimp rice! I got drawn to this recipe because of these babies only!
But I had no idea how irresistible this is going to be when tossed with the crazy firecracker sauce! The somewhat sweet shrimps get an incredible makeover when mixed with the sauce!
With every spoon of this firecracker shrimp rice you would thank yourself for making this!
Rice: Like any other stir fried rice, you should use a day-old cooked rice which has been chilled in the refrigerator overnight. This would give you the best results for your firecracker shrimp rice.
After being tossed in the firecracker sauce, the rice grains will turn out fluffy and somewhat crispy if you use chilled rice.
If you use hot rice, the heat in the grains will break the rice easily, ending up in a hot mess!
Sauce ingredients: The USP of this firecracker shrimp rice is the firecracker sauce which is a quick mix of a few regular stir-fry ingredients which are most likely available in your refrigerator.
You will need juice of a fresh orange for a citrusy kick, rice vinegar for the tang along with your favorite hot sauce & chilli flakes for the fire element in the firecracker sauce!
Finally to round things up, add brown sugar for that subtle sweetness & depth and a pinch of salt to extract the flavors of all the ingredients!
Aromatics: While the sauce will impart its magic to the firecracker shrimp rice, for that real restaurant-like flavor in your stir fried rice, I always sauté some quintessential aromatics in oil before tossing the rice in it!
If you haven’t guessed already, these aromatics are garlic, ginger and spring onions! I cannot imagine a good fried rice without this trio!
When you stir fry finely chopped garlic and spring onion whites in oil, they infuse the oil beautifully with deep flavors which seep into the rice when it’s tossed in the oil along with the sauce.
Seasoning: You will have to be a little mindful while seasoning your firecracker shrimp rice because the hot sauce that you would use will already have some salt in it.
My suggestion is to season this in 2 steps. Firstly, while sautéing the shrimps, add about half a teaspoon of salt.
Secondly, after your rice & shrimps are tossed nicely with the firecracker sauce, do a taste test. If you feel additional salt is needed, add it to taste. Then you won’t end up overseasoning your firecracker shrimp rice.
How to make Firecracker Shrimp Rice?
Step 1: Take the cleaned, deveined and washed shrimps in a mixing bowl. Add the corn flour, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and about ¼ teaspoon of salt over them.
Step 2: Give a good mix using a spatula to lightly coat each shrimp with the corn flour (aka cornstarch) and to distribute the seasoning.
Step 3: Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large wok (we will use the same wok for stir frying the rice later).
Step 4: Once the oil is warm, keeping the heat on low, add the starch coated shrimps to the wok and spread them in a single even layer.
Step 5: Let them cook for 2 minutes on low without disturbing. Then flip them over and let the other side cook for another 2 minutes.
Step 6: Once the shrimps turn pink & opaque, they are fully cooked. Take them out in a bowl and set aside until needed.
Step 7: Now we will make the firecracker sauce. Add all the ingredients listed under sauce in another medium mixing bowl – orange juice, brown sugar, red chilli sauce (or any hot sauce you prefer), rice vinegar, chilli flakes and salt.
Step 8: Give the sauce a good mix to evenly combine all the ingredients. Set it aside while you start stir frying the rice.
Step 9: Heat the remaining oil in the same wok which you used for frying up your shrimps. Once the oil is warm, add the remaining minced garlic, grated ginger and spring onion whites.
Step 10: Stir fry the aromatics on medium-low heat until they turn light golden brown and soften up. It would take about 8 to 10 minutes on medium heat to nicely sauté the aromatics.
Step 11: Then add the cooked rice which should be preferably a day old and chilled in the refrigerator overnight. Carefully spread the rice over the wok and let this sit in it for a couple of minutes without disturbance.
Step 12: After 2 minutes, pour the prepared firecracker sauce over the rice. Then using a spatula start stirring the rice with a light hand to mix in the sauce ensuring all rice grains get coated with the sauce.
Step 13: Once you are happy with the mixing, do a taste test for seasoning. Add additional salt if needed and also add freshly crushed black pepper if you wish. Give a good mix but with light strokes.
Step 14: Now it’s time to add in the sautéed shrimps to the firecracker rice! Also tip in the spring onion greens.
Step 15: Give a good stir to your firecracker shrimp rice to distribute the shrimps & spring greens evenly within the rice and also to let the shrimps warm up.
Step 16: Your delicious firecracker shrimp rice is ready! Serve them hot into individual serving bowls. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and sprinkle extra chilli flakes on top if you are extra-bold! Enjoy!
More delicious shrimp recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Juice of 1 small orange, about ½ a cup
- Brown sugar - ¼ cup
- Red chilli sauce - ¼ cup
- Rice vinegar - 2 tbsp
- Chilli flakes - 1 tsp
- Salt - ½ tsp
- Shrimps - 250 gms (about 15 to 17), cleaned & deveined
- Cooked rice - 6 cups
- Corn flour/cornstarch - 3 tsp
- Garlic - 20 cloves, finely minced
- Ginger - ½ tsp, grated
- Spring onion - 6 stalks, greens & white separated & finely chopped
- Vegetable oil - 4 to 6 tbsp
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Take the cleaned, deveined and washed shrimps in a mixing bowl. Add the corn flour, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and about ¼ teaspoon of salt over them.
- Give a good mix using a spatula to lightly coat each shrimp with the corn flour (aka cornstarch) and to distribute the seasoning.
- Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large wok (we will use the same wok for stir frying the rice later).
- Once the oil is warm, keeping the heat on low, add the starch coated shrimps to the wok and spread them in a single even layer.
- Let them cook for 2 minutes on low without disturbing. Then flip them over and let the other side cook for another 2 minutes.
- Once the shrimps turn pink & opaque, they are fully cooked. Take them out in a bowl and set aside until needed.
- Now we will make the firecracker sauce. Add all the ingredients listed under sauce in another medium mixing bowl - orange juice, brown sugar, red chilli sauce (or any hot sauce you prefer), rice vinegar, chilli flakes and salt.
- Give the sauce a good mix to evenly combine all the ingredients. Set it aside while you start stir frying the rice.
- Heat the remaining oil in the same wok which you used for frying up your shrimps. Once the oil is warm, add the remaining minced garlic, grated ginger and spring onion whites.
- Stir fry the aromatics on medium-low heat until they turn light golden brown and soften up. It would take about 8 to 10 minutes on medium heat to nicely sauté the aromatics.
- Then add the cooked rice which should be preferably a day old and chilled in the refrigerator overnight. Carefully spread the rice over the wok and let this sit in it for a couple of minutes without disturbance.
- After 2 minutes, pour the prepared firecracker sauce over the rice. Then using a spatula start stirring the rice with a light hand to mix in the sauce ensuring all rice grains get coated with the sauce.
- Once you are happy with the mixing, do a taste test for seasoning. Add additional salt if needed and also add freshly crushed black pepper if you wish. Give a good mix but with light strokes.
- Now it’s time to add in the sautéed shrimps to the firecracker rice! Also tip in the spring onion greens.
- Give a good stir to your firecracker shrimp rice to distribute the shrimps & spring greens evenly within the rice and also to let the shrimps warm up.
- Your delicious firecracker shrimp rice is ready! Serve them hot into individual serving bowls. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and sprinkle extra chilli flakes on top if you are extra-bold! Enjoy!
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Copycat Damn Delicious Shrimp Kabobs
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