Garlicky and buttery, this simple Japanese Garlic Fried Rice topped with garlic chips is a dish I have cooked many times over the years as one of my go-to rice dishes.  This fried rice recipe matches so well with a delicious side like succulent grilled shrimp.

Japanese Garlic Fried Rice

INGREDIENTS

• 2 rice cooker cups uncooked Japanese short-grain rice
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (30 ml)
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (15 g)
• 1 tsp soy sauce (5 ml)
• ¼ tsp kosher/sea salt (use half for table salt) (or more for taste)
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 stalks parsley

Grilled Shrimp Skewer (Optional – see below)

• 6 pieces shrimp (medium size)
• ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp sake (15 ml)
• kosher/sea salt (use half for table salt)
• freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

To Prep:

1. Gather all the ingredients first.
   
2. Cook the rice in the rice cooker or in a pot over the stove. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside uncovered to remove moisture. [60 minutes added to total cook time]
3. Cut half of the garlic cloves in thin rounds widthwise (so you see a hole in the center) and mince the other half.
4. Remove the parsley leaves from the stems and mince them.

To Cook Garlic Fried Rice:

1. Add the olive oil in the large frying pan. Slowly fry the thinly sliced garlic pieces until golden brown. If you add the garlic slices in hot oil, they would burn too fast and you may end up with burnt garlic slices. Transfer to a dish lined with paper towel and keep the garlic infused oil in the pan.
2. Add the minced garlic in the same pan and stir fry until golden brown and fragrant.
3. Add in butter and swirl around to coat the pan. Then add warm steamed rice. Cold rice would take too long to warm up and the garlic would get too dark (and may burn).
4. Break the chunk of rice to separate. The Japanese short grain rice is stickier than other types of rice, so it’s normal that rice is stick to each other, but should not be in huge chunks. Once the garlic oil is coated with the rice, add the soy sauce and toss the fried rice.
5. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste the rice and make sure it is seasoned to your liking.
6. Lastly add the chopped parsley and mix all together.

To Serve:

1. Put the garlic fried rice in a rice bowl, pressing gently to make sure there is no space in the bowl, and invert the rice on a serving plate.

To Make Grilled Shrimp Skewer (Optional)

1. If you like to serve the garlic fried rice with grilled shrimp skewers, shell and devein the shrimp. You can keep or remove the tail.  Add sake and coat well with shrimp.
2. Skewer 3 shrimp on each damp skewer without leaving spaces. Sprinkle kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Lay skewers flat on a greased cast iron pan (or regular frying pan). Cook the shrimp with the lid on about 2 minutes per side or just until cooked through and no longer transparent. Remove the shrimp from the grill and serve with garlic fried rice.

https://www.justonecookbook.com/japanese-garlic-fried-rice/