Healthy Egg Fried Rice with Prawns

Name: Healthy Egg Fried Rice with Prawns
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: ½ leek or one whole onion (washed (or peeled) and finely sliced); 4 tsp olive oil; 150 g frozen cooked prawns (or shrimp); 100 g brown rice, cooked and cooled; large handful of kale (washed and finely shredded); 2 eggs, beaten; 1 tbsp soy sauce

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Healthy egg fried rice with prawns (or shrimp) is perfect for when you're in a hurry to get dinner on the table. It literally takes 15 minutes to cook (assuming that you are starting with ready cooked rice).

Healthy egg fried rice includes prawns and vegetables, so it's an easy one pot dinner (meaning only one pan to wash up!!). And you can switch in other vegetables or protein if you've got a few ingredients in the fridge that you want to use up.

What's good about egg fried rice with prawns?

Using brown rice in this recipe adds a lovely nutty flavour. Brown rice is a wholegrain, and full of fibre. It will keep you feeling fuller for longer. And brown rice is also rich in B vitamins. You might also like this easy brown rice pilau recipe.

Prawns (or shirmp) are a healthy source of low-fat protein. Like other seafood, they are rich in zinc and selenium which are good for your immunity. They also contain iron and several B vitamins (see here for the vitamin/mineral content of prawns).

Eggs also add further protein to this dish. Eggs are one of the few sources of vitamin D, plus a whole raft of other essential nutrients.

Healthy egg fried rice with prawns is an easy midweek fish recipe.

Ingredients

Cooked brown rice. It's best to use rice that has been cooked and cooled to make egg fried rice, otherwise warm rice will tend to clump. But if that's not possible, cook your rice and spread it out on a tray to cool whilst you get on with the rest of the recipe. (You could also pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes to speed things up).

Tip: next time you cook rice, try to remember to cook extra and pop it in the freezer. Then you can use it to make healthy egg fried rice!

Leek or onion. Either will add a slightly sweet but savoury flavour to the dish. If you like, you could also add a very finely chopped clove of garlic along with the onion.

Olive oil. Try to use a healthy oil for frying. Either olive oil or coconut oil will both be good.

Prawns. I use frozen cooked prawns. There's no prep required for the small prawns or shrimp that I buy as they come without tails and they don't need deveining. You can add them frozen to the pan as they'll defrost very quickly in the high heat.

Note: In the UK we tend to use the name prawns for both large and small variants. Our prawns are often known as shrimp in other countries - use whichever you can easily buy.

Eggs are essential for the recipe. They add a distinctive richness to the rice.

Kale. I like to add some green veggies to this healthy egg fried rice with prawns. It adds extra colour as well as nutrition. Chop the kale quite small so that it cooks through quickly. (If you've got some leftover kale, use it up in this pesto recipe.) You could also use spinach. Or if you prefer, leave out the veg and serve a big side salad instead.

Soy sauce. This adds the classic flavour to egg fried rice, and provides seasoning. Don't add extra salt as the soy sauce will provide plenty. You can buy reduced salt soy sauce if you prefer. If you are gluten free, take care to buy a specific gluten free soy sauce as many contain gluten.

Optional ingredients

Egg fried rice is a very flexible dish. You can add extra veggies and protein as you like.

For crunchy vegetables such as carrots and peppers, slice them very thinly and add them with the onion or leek so that they have time to cook through. You could also add a cup of frozen peas at this point so that they've got time to defrost. For soft leafy veg or precooked veg such as tinned sweetcorn, add them at the end of the recipe.

To make healthy egg fried rice with chicken rather than prawns, it's best to cook the chicken at the start of the recipe. Cut into chunks or strips and stir fry until cooked through. Remove from the pan and cook the rest of the recipe. Then add the cooked chicken back into the stir fried rice at the end.

How to make healthy egg fried rice with prawns

The method for this recipe is incredibly simple. I use a non stick pan, but you could also use a seasoned wok.

Start by stir frying the leeks or onion in half the oil until they are beginning to brown and soften.

Then add the prawns, kale, and rice to cook briefly and warm through.

Push everything to one side of the pan. Add the remaining oil to the empty side of the pan, then add the beaten eggs. Scramble the eggs until just cooked.

Remove from the heat and mix the cooked eggs through the rice. Season with soy sauce.

This healthy egg fried rice recipe makes 2 portions. To make 4 portions, you'll need a very large pan so there's plenty of space for the ingredients to fry. Alternatively, divide the mixture between 2 pans.

Healthy egg fried rice in bowl with lemon and chopsticks.

Frequently asked questions

Can I mix chicken and prawns together?

Nice idea! The two flavours will work well together in this dish. But make sure that you cook them separately as the chicken will take much longer to cook through. Stir fry the chicken first and remove from the pan. Then make the rest of the dish and add the chicken back into the rice at the end.

Is eggs and rice healthy?

Depending on the rice that you use and how you cook the dish, eggs and rice can be very healthy. Ideally, use a wholegrain rice which will contain more fibre and nutrients. Try to include plenty of protein which will help to keep you feeling fuller for longer. And cook the dish without too much fat, salt and processed additives.

Is egg fried rice good for weight loss?

A classic takeaway or ready made egg fried rice dish is not good for weight loss. It's high in calories, and they are relatively empty calories too. However, you can easily make a homemade version of the dish yourself using much healthier ingredients.

Other healthy rice recipes

You might also enjoy this egg fried cauliflower rice recipe. And if you are looking for other recipes using brown rice, you might like to try this wholegrain rice pilaf which is mildly spiced and flavoured with apricots.

For something a little more comforting, you might enjoy this easy leek and pea risotto.

For other very quick simple dinner ideas, try this chicken and vegetable sheet pan dinner or chicken ramen noodles.

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