It's just before Easter as I'm posting this, so I thought it would be a perfect recipe to share for those of you who practice not eating meat on Good Friday.
Regardless of the time of year, it's super quick and so good! This recipe has saved me many nights when I needed to get something quick on the table. If you have an Instant Pot, you can get the forbidden (black) rice going because that will take around 30 minutes. Or you can cook it ahead so you just have to warm it up for an even faster meal on the table. If you cannot find forbidden rice or don't have any on hand, you can use any rice, but the black rice has a great nutrient profile and it looks so pretty on the plate!
*Many of you ask what I use, so I added links to products I like. They are affiliate links and I will make a small commission, if you don't mind! ☺️
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes if starting with uncooked rice, 10 minutes if the rice is cooked
Level: Beginner
Ingredients
3 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp Water
1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
1/3 cup minced fresh Ginger
3 Tbsp chopped Chives or Scallions
1Lb shrimp peeled and deveined (save time - buy them already cleaned and then just quickly peel them)
Salt and Pepper to season the shrimp
Rice
2 cups uncooked Forbidden Rice
2 1/2 cups water (if using Instant Pot, if cooking on stovetop, use 3 cups water)
1 tsp salt
Instructions
If your rice isn't cooked yet, start with that first. If using an Instant Pot, just add the rice, water and salt, put on the lid and press "multigrain." You are done at this point. If using another method, prepare the rice as you normally would, but keep in mind that it will need a longer cooking time than white rice. It could take up to 40 minutes. If the rice seems a little hard and the water is gone, add a little more water and keep cooking. Be patient! This same procedure goes for brown rice, it just takes a bit more liquid and a bit more time, but it's worth it!
Once you got the rice going, prepare the shrimp. Pat the shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper. Whisk together the first six ingredients and set aside. In a large skillet (I use cast iron), heat the 2 Tbsp of oil and swirl around the pan so it coats the bottom. Add the seasoned shrimp and cook for a 60 - 90 seconds just until they have just a little bit of pink around the edges, but not cooked through. If you overcook the shrimp, they will be rubbery, so it's best to err on the undercooked side at this point! Pour in the sauce and cook for another minute until the sauce is heated. The shrimp will finish cooking at this point. Remove from the heat and serve over the top of the forbidden rice.
The shrimp cooks super quick - less than 5 minutes actually. So wait until the rice is almost done before you start the shrimp. Take the time to prepare the veggies you will serve with this delicious dish. I chose to make a salad with ginger dressing. I LOVE ginger dressing - my favorite is the Makoto brand, but unfortunately, they don't have it on Amazon. Maybe you can find it in your grocery store.