This prawn and vegetable fried rice recipe is a quick, healthy one-pan meal loaded with juicy prawns, fresh veggies, and savoury flavors. Perfect for weeknight dinners!
The recipe is inspired from Ching-He Huang’s Chinese Food Made Easy recipe book and in particular her recipe 'Grandmother’s Chicken Fried Rice'. It’s the flavours of the Chinese 5 spice powder, soy and sesame oil that make it a very moreish dish!
The recipe book accompanies a BBC TV series that was broadcast in 2008 and I think we’ve had this book since it was published in the same year. We’ve made quite a few recipes from the book, but none more than variations of this dish. It’s a great mid-week meal that’s quick and easy to cook once you’ve done the prep. I definitely can't count on my 2 hands how often it’s been made over the years!
This particular recipe was made with a pack of raw king prawns that we had in the freezer, however, more often than not, we’ve made it with diced chicken breast or thigh meat, or strips of pork loin steaks or fillet. We’ve had it purely as a vegetable dish…maybe add a can of drained beansprouts, or a big handful of fresh beansprouts if your supermarket has them to bulk it up. Or make the vegetable fried rice and serve with pan-fried fillets of salmon – the choice really is yours!
Tips
- Cooked rice – you can cook the rice the night before or earlier in the day. Don’t worry if you haven’t done this, just cook it in advance of prepping the vegetables and rinse it under plenty of cold water, then set it aside for adding at step 4.
- Make sure your wok starts to smoke slightly before you put the oil in, then you’ll know that the ingredients won’t stick.
- You can use any vegetables that you wish, the ingredient list below is purely a suggestion…it’s a dish for making if you want to clear out the veggies in your fridge and to get 5 of your 5 a day!! Other good vegetables for stir-frying - mangetout, baby corn, broccoli, beansprouts, cabbage, Chinese leaves, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes - thaw frozen prawns in cold water, pat them dry, and cook them quickly over high heat to prevent them from becoming rubbery.
Long-grain rice like jasmine or basmati is ideal for its fluffy texture. Medium-grain rice also works well, but avoid short-grain rice, which can become sticky.
Yes - you can prepare the fried rice ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in a hot skillet or microwave before serving.
Carrots, peas, peppers, broccoli, and sugar snap peas are great options. You can also add leafy greens like spinach or pak choi.
Absolutely - add chopped chilli, chilli flakes, or a drizzle of sriracha for some heat.
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How to make this Prawn and Vegetable Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 150g white basmati rice, cooked and rinsed in cold water (you can use jasmine or brown rice if you prefer) (see Tips)
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 medium onion (approx. 140g), thickly sliced
- 120g chestnut mushrooms, sliced or quartered
- 1 medium carrot (approx. 120g), thinly sliced or cut into batons
- 80g green beans, cut in halves
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced (you can use any colour)
- 200g pak choi – separate leaves from stalks and roughly chop so that you have a pile of chopped leaves and a pile of chopped stalks (they are added at different times)
- 80g sugar snap peas, sliced in halves diagonally
- 160g raw king prawns, rinsed
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry (you can also use rice vinegar or mirin)
- 2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 0.25 tsp ground white pepper
- 2 spring onions, sliced
Instructions
- Heat a wok or large non-stick frying pan over a high heat until it just starts to smoke (see Tips) and then add the groundnut oil. Add the onions, carrots and mushrooms and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the green beans and stalks of chopped pak choi and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Then add the peppers and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Add the Shaoxing rice wine followed by the Chinese 5 spice powder and stir through the vegetables for 30 seconds. Then add the prawns and as they start to turn pink, add the dark soy sauce and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Add the leaves of chopped pak choi and sugar snap peanuts and stir round to coat in the sauce, then add the rice, mix well and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Season with the light soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper and stir to mix.
- Finally, stir in the spring onions and serve immediately…enjoy!
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Prawn and Vegetable Fried Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 150 g (⅞ cup) white basmati rice cooked and rinsed in cold water (you can use jasmine or brown rice if you prefer) (see Notes)
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 medium onion (approx. 140g) thickly sliced
- 120 g (1 ¾ cups) chestnut mushrooms sliced or quartered
- 1 medium carrot (approx. 120g) thinly sliced or cut into batons
- 80 g (¾ cup) green beans cut in halves
- 1 red pepper deseeded and sliced (you can use any colour)
- 200 g (2 ¾ cups) pak choi separate leaves from stalks and roughly chop so that you have a pile of chopped leaves and a pile of chopped stalks (they are added at different times)
- 80 g (⅞ cup) sugar snap peas sliced in halves diagonally
- 160 g (5.6 oz) raw king prawns rinsed
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry (you can also use rice vinegar or mirin)
- 2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 0.25 tsp ground white pepper
- 2 spring onions sliced
Instructions
- Heat a wok or large non-stick frying pan over a high heat until it just starts to smoke (see Notes) and then add the groundnut oil. Add the onions, carrots, and mushrooms and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the green beans and stalks of chopped pak choi and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Then add the peppers and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Add the Shaoxing rice wine followed by the Chinese 5 spice powder and stir through the vegetables for 30 seconds. Then add the prawns and as they start to turn pink, add the dark soy sauce and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Add the leaves of chopped pak choi and sugar snap peanuts and stir round to coat in the sauce, then add the rice, mix well and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Season with the light soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper and stir to mix.
- Finally, stir in the spring onions and serve immediately…enjoy!
Notes
- Cooked rice – you can cook the rice the night before or earlier in the day. Don’t worry if you haven’t done this, just cook it in advance of prepping the vegetables and rinse it under plenty of cold water, then set it aside for adding at step 4.
- Make sure your wok starts to smoke slightly before you put the oil in, then you’ll know that the ingredients won’t stick.
- You can use any vegetables that you wish, the ingredient list below is purely a suggestion…it’s a dish for making if you want to clear out the veggies in your fridge and to get 5 of your 5 a day!! Other good vegetables for stir-frying - mangetout, baby corn, broccoli, beansprouts, cabbage, Chinese leaves, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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