Spring onion - 6 stalks, greens & white separated & finely chopped
Vegetable oil - 4 to 6 tbsp
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
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!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://flavorquotient.com/2025/09/firecracker-shrimp-rice/