Enjoy my copycat Din Tai Fung fried rice recipe with tender, juicy shrimp. Make the recipe in the comfort of your kitchen using a handful of ingredients for a quick dinner idea. Then, try easy vegetable fried rice next!
What’s Din Tai Fung Fried Rice?
Din Tai Fung is a famous Taiwanese restaurant known for soup dumplings (xiaolongbao), hand-pulled noodles, green beans, fresh cucumber salad, and fried rice!
There is a reason the restaurant’s fried rice is famous. It’s delicious, and comes in three different varieties, pork, mushroom, and shrimp – so there is something for everyone.
Join us in recreating the signature recipe for shrimp fried rice and capture the wok-seared goodness in a satisfying one-pan dish.
Ingredients for Din Tai Fung Fried Rice
- White Rice: For optimal results, prepare the rice in advance and chill it in the fridge overnight. Chilled rice will not clump, and it crisps nicely once fried. If you have leftover rice in your refrigerator, use it – in fact, this recipe is a great way to repurpose leftovers! Short-grained rice, like jasmine or sushi rice, is best.
- Shrimp: Use one pound of large shrimp for the best Din Tai Fung fried rice.
- Marinade: Marinate the shrimp in salt, white pepper, and baking soda before searing them in the pan.
- Oil: Use neutral oil, like avocado oil, with a high smoking point since the recipe involves searing the shrimp on high heat.
- Spices: Like the restaurant chain, I season my Din Tai Fung shrimp fried rice with salt, white pepper, MSG, and Lee Kum Kee chicken bouillon powder. If you don’t have MSG, replace it with more chicken bouillon (though nothing replaces the taste of MSG in a recipe).
- Scallions: Cook the rice with the scallion whites, and use the greens as garnish.
- Eggs: Stir-fried rice is nothing without eggs. Crack the eggs straight into the pan, like they do at Din Tai Fung, instead of adding them beaten like I do to for my easy vegetable fried rice recipe.
Additions and Substitutions
- Vegetarian: Replace the chicken bouillon powder with mushroom powder and replace the shrimp with mushrooms.
- Sugar: Many recipes for fried rice include sugar to sweeten the rice and balance the overall flavor. I leave it out of my recipe, but you can add one teaspoon of white sugar with the other seasonings.
How to Make Din Tai Fung Fried Rice
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Follow the instructions for cooking white rice on the stovetop in a saucepan. Then, let the rice cool and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using it; day – old rice is even better!
Step 2: Peel and devein the shrimp. Then, toss them with salt, white pepper, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Set it aside for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Combine the salt, white pepper, chicken bouillon powder, and MSG in a small bowl and set it aside.
Step 4: Warm the oil in a wok or a heavy-bottomed pan. Pat the shrimp dry and add them in a single layer and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Use tongs to flip the shrimp and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes, depending on the size of your shrimp.
Step 5: Add one teaspoon of oil to the pan, if needed, and stir in the scallion whites. Cook for 30 seconds, then add the eggs.
Let them cook undisturbed for 30 seconds, then gently push the eggs from one side of the pan to the other, incorporating them with the scallions.
Step 6: Stir in the reserved white rice and increase the heat. Cook the rice, stirring frequently, until it is fluffy and separated for 1-2 minutes.
Step 7: Add the bowl of reserved spices. Then, return the shrimp to the pan along with the scallion greens. Stir to combine, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Warm or lukewarm rice becomes mushy as it fries, so it’s best to prepare your rice in advance and chill it thoroughly.
- Some recipes call for soy sauce, but chicken powder and MSG provide enough umami to flavor for my Din Tai Fung-inspired fried rice with shrimp.
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If you love this recipe, try one of these seafood favorites!
Serving Suggestions
- Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad
- Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps
- Wonton Soup, Egg Drop Soup
- Soup Dumplings
What to do With the Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Store the leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
- Freeze – Let the rice cool, then transfer it to a freezer-safe bag or container. Din Tai Fung fried rice freezes for three months.
- Thaw – Defrost the leftovers in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat – Warm the leftovers on the stovetop or microwave, and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Chinese fried rice taste so good?
Many fried rice recipes include common ingredients to enhance the flavor, including soy sauce and oyster sauce. And that’s what sets the Din Tai Fun fried rice apart because it tastes delicious and uses unique seasonings like chicken powder and MSG to flavor the dish, making it Uncle Rodger-approved.
What is the secret to restaurant fried rice?
The key to making mouthwatering, restaurant-style fried rice is using leftover rice! All the other seasonings are just tasty additions.
More Shrimp Recipes:
Din Tai Fun Fried Rice
- Small Bowl
- 2 cups white rice, cooked and chilled
- ½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon Lee Kum Kee chicken bouillon powder
- ¼ teaspoon MSG
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 scallions, finely chopped, greens and whites reserved separately
- 4 eggs
- Follow the instructions for cooking white rice on the stovetop in a saucepan. Then, let the rice cool and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using it; day – old rice is even better!
- Peel and devein the shrimp. Then, toss them with salt, white pepper, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Set it aside for 15 minutes.
- Combine the kosher salt, white pepper, chicken bouillon powder, and MSG in a small bowl and set it aside.
- Warm the oil in a wok or a heavy-bottomed pan. Pat the shrimp dry and add them in a single layer and cook for 1-2 minutes. Use tongs to flip the shrimp and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes, depending on the size of your shrimp.
- Add one teaspoon of oil to the pan, if needed, and stir in the scallion whites. Cook for 30 seconds, then add the eggs. Let them cook undisturbed for 30 seconds, then gently push the eggs from one side of the pan to the other, incorporating them with the scallions.
- Stir in the reserved white rice and increase the heat. Cook the rice, stirring frequently, until it is fluffy and separated for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the bowl of reserved spices. Then, return the shrimp to the pan along with the scallion greens. Stir to combine, and enjoy!
- Warm or lukewarm rice becomes mushy as it fries, so it’s best to prepare your rice in advance and chill it thoroughly.
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Some recipes call for soy sauce, but chicken powder and MSG provide enough umami to flavor for my Din Tai Fung-inspired fried rice with shrimp.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.