Home · Recipes · Recipes · Main Dishes Soy Ginger Shrimp with Forbidden Rice Author: Maryanne CabreraPublished: Jun 3, 2014Updated: Mar 3, 2021 View Recipe12 ReviewsThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy. Prepare a restaurant quality meal in under one hour. This soy ginger shrimp dish is sure to impress any dinner date. I might as well share this soy ginger shrimp with forbidden rice recipe, since I ended up eating all of it. BY MYSELF, I might add. Alex doesn’t really like shellfish (unless it’s super fresh). We also don’t eat much shellfish because I have a mild allergy that strikes at random times. I spent one birthday hugging the toilet because I ate scallops. They definitely weren’t spoiled or bad because I’m the only one that got sick from that dinner. Another time, I ate a pound of lobster and I was fine. And then next week, I had a tiny little bite of lobster and I spent the rest of the night with my arms around my aching stomach. Soy Ginger Shrimp with Forbidden Rice This soy ginger shrimp is AMAZING. If I was looking for a boyfriend, this would be the dish I would make for the guy. You’ve heard of engagement chicken? Well, this is fall in love with me shrimp. Even (not the biggest fan of seafood) Alex liked this dish. That’s gotta tell you something. While you could serve the soy ginger shrimp over a bowl of pasta or a bed of white rice, I wanted to make it exotic and special by using black rice. What is black rice? Black rice, also known as purple rice or forbidden rice, is the prettiest rice I’ve ever encountered. The color is so vibrant and alluring. Legend has it that it was called “forbidden rice” because it was only available to royalty and emperors. Black rice is far more nutritious than white Jasmine rice. Black rice is also a bit more sticky than white rice. Because it is quite glutenous, it would be great for making rice porridge or sticky rice desserts. Soy Ginger Shrimp with Forbidden Rice 5 from 4 votes A quick and easy dinner for two! Prepare a restaurant quality meal in under one hour. This soy ginger shrimp dish is sure to impress any dinner date. Prep Time: 10 minutes minutesCook Time: 35 minutes minutesTotal Time: 45 minutes minutes Servings: 2 Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe IngredientsSoy Ginger Sauce:▢ 1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce▢ 1 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce▢ 1 Tablespoon water▢ 2 teaspoon rice vinegar▢ ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper▢ 2 Tablespoon minced ginger▢ 1 Tablespoon chopped chives, or green onionsShrimp:▢ 10 oz large shrimp tails on, peeled and deveined▢ kosher salt and black pepper, to season▢ 1 Tablespoon canola oilRice and Garnishes:▢ 1 ¾ cup water▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt▢ 1 cup Forbidden Rice (long grain black rice)▢ red pepper flakes, as desired for heat▢ pea shoots, for garnish and crunch Instructions Soy Ginger Shrimp:Whisk together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, white pepper, minced ginger and chopped chives. Set aside.Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil and swirl around pan. Once oil is hot, add seasoned shrimp. Cook for about 60-90 seconds until shrimp is almost cooked. (Don't over cook shrimp because it will get rubbery!) Pour in soy ginger sauce. Toss to coat shrimp. Heat for 45 seconds or until sauce is warm. Remove from heat. Serve immediately over cooked rice.Forbidden Rice:In a medium sauce pot, bring water, rice, and salt to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover pot. Cook for about 35-45 minutes until rice is tender and water has been absorbed. Keeping the lid on the pot, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove lid and fluff rice with a fork. (makes about 2 ½ cups cooked rice) Notes This recipe uses LARGE shrimp (listed as 26/30 or 26-30 pieces per pound) Use fresh or frozen shrimp. They’re all the same. Most “fresh” shrimp sold at markets (even the fancy ones!) have been frozen and thawed. Frozen shrimp is perfectly fine. If using frozen shrimp: make sure to completely THAW the shrimp. Thaw shrimp overnight in the fridge or place them in a colander in the sink and run cold water over shrimp for about 5 minutes. NutritionCalories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 179mg | Sodium: 2404mg | Potassium: 316mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 321IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 1mg Author: Maryanne Cabrera Course: Main CourseCuisine: Asian Did you make this recipe?Show us on Instagram! Tag @littleepicurean and hashtag #littleepicurean.
Inês Oliveira says: June 3, 2014 Wow. Simple yet stunning dish! Loved this rice :) Have a nice week! Reply
Tiff | TiffanyBee.com says: June 3, 2014 I love this!! I encouraged my boyfriend to get an allergy test because he believed he was allergic to shellfish besides bivalves for the longest time, but would often “accidentally” eat something with shrimp in it. Turns out he’s allergy free, so I encourage you to do the same to see what it really is you may/may not be allergic from! Although, I do have some friends that are just like you: sometimes allergic to shrimp haha. It could be the species? Or maybe something you ate…that day? I don’t know. I have read that when you start exercising a lot, your body develops ways to help overcome what you previously had as allergies or if you eat healthier with more fresh fruits & veggies. Love the food styling & I must try this recipe one day. I’m always looking for new recipes for shrimp & if Alex liked it, surely it’ll be good! Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: June 4, 2014 Hi Tiff! I had an allergy test back when I was kid and I just remember being scared and nervous because of all the needles being poked into my arm. However, if it happens again this summer, I’ll definitely be making a doctor’s appointment! Thanks so much! Also, while checking out your website- I had the biggest smile on my face. We share the same musical taste. I have a similar playlist with Chvrches and Broods. :)
Jessiker Bakes (@jessikerbakes) says: June 4, 2014 Your blog is stunning! I’m loving the pictures. This ginger shrimp looks fabulous – I’ve been in quite the seafood mode and you’re definitely feeding into it! I was just telling the Mr. last night that I want to try black rice and this looks superb! Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: June 4, 2014 Thank you so much Jessica! It was my first time working with black rice. It tastes great, especially with seafood. My only problem- the cooking time was a bit strange because it took a while for all the water to be absorbed by the rice. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it for dinner soon! :)
Denise says: September 28, 2016 I had almost 3 cups of leftover forbidden rice to use, so I didn’t get to add red pepper flake to it during cooking. I added some chili powder to the sauce to add some bite, and onions and red pepper to the shrimp for some crunch. It turned out very good, might double the sauce next time, but will make again. Reply
Amelia says: August 13, 2021 This recipe turned out amazing! The cooking instructions for the shrimp made them come out perfect and the flavor of the sauce had a great balance of sweet and tart! I made extra rice and cooked about 16 oz of shrimp to make the recipe work for 3-4 servings. I decided to double the amount of sauce for the extra shrimp and added a side of baby bok choy, which I cooked in the leftover soy ginger sauce! I would definitely recommend trying it :) Reply
Sue says: November 22, 2023 Is there another way to make this without choisin, soy or ginger? I’m allergic to ginger & soy gives me a migraine. Can you think of substitutions for those ingredients? Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: December 6, 2023 You can use oyster sauce (or vegan oyster sauce made with mushrooms) in place of the hoisin sauce. Lemongrass in place of ginger. Tamari in place of soy sauce.
Judy Rafanelli says: January 19, 2024 Exceptionally delicious! My husband asks for it almost every week. Thanks so much for sharing. Reply