Shrimp Pilaf ☆ Easy to Make in a Frying Pan♪ [Featured in a Popular Magazine] Perfect for Using Up Leftover Rice!

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This is my go-to easy and delicious shrimp pilaf, perfect for using up leftover rice! 🍤
The seasoning is simple, so you can easily add your own twist or ingredients — great for beginners too♪

This recipe was originally shared on Recipe Blog, where it received over 1,200 favorites and was even featured in a magazine!

※“Recipe Blog” was a Japanese recipe-sharing site that ended in June 2025.)

Shrimp Pilaf Recipe (＊Switch tabs for more)

Ponkuma

Step-by-step photos included!
witch between the tabs below to check them out

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Ingredients（Serves 2）

Ingredients	Amount
Frozen small shrimp	100g
Salt	1 tbsp (dissolve in 500ml of water)
Garlic (minced)	1–2 cloves
Onion	To taste (about 1/2)
Carrot	To taste (about 1/2)
Bacon	1 slice (or 2 half slices)
Shimeji mushrooms (separated)	1/2 pack
Cooked rice	2 bowls
Butter or margarine	Enough to coat the rice
Cooking sake (optional)	As needed
Granulated chicken bouillon	As needed
Salt, pepper, and parsley	To taste

You can skip the shimeji mushrooms if you don’t have them.
Corn or bell peppers make great substitutes!
Cooking sake is also optional.

How to Make It

Defrost the small shrimp (100g) in salted water — 1 tablespoon of salt per 500ml of water.
Cut the onion, carrot, and bacon into bite-sized pieces. Separate the shimeji mushrooms, and mince the garlic.
In a frying pan, heat oil and garlic over low heat until fragrant.
Add the ingredients in this order: carrot → onion → bacon → shimeji → shrimp.
Stir-fry and cook through. Add a splash of sake (if using) and a pinch of salt.
Add the cooked rice and stir-fry. Mix in butter and chicken stock (or bouillon).
Adjust the taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle with parsley, and it’s ready to serve♪

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Ingredients	Amount
Frozen small shrimp	100g
Salt	1 tbsp (dissolve in 500ml of water)
Garlic (minced)	1–2 cloves
Onion	To taste (about 1/2)
Carrot	To taste (about 1/2)
Bacon	1 slice (or 2 half slices)
Shimeji mushrooms (separated)	1/2 pack
Cooked rice	2 bowls
Butter or margarine	Enough to coat the rice
Cooking sake (optional)	As needed
Granulated chicken bouillon	As needed
Salt, pepper, and parsley	To taste

You can skip the shimeji mushrooms if you don’t have them.
Corn or bell peppers make great substitutes!
Cooking sake is also optional.

作り方

STEP

Defrost the shrimp

Pour 500ml of water into a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of salt, then stir well.

(If you don’t have a measuring cup, one small plastic bottle of water = about 500ml.)

Add the frozen shrimp and let them sit until thawed.

Pro tip

Place the bowl on a kitchen scale, reset it to “0,”

then pour in water directly — this gives you an accurate 500g (≈500ml) measurement.

STEP

Prepare the vegetables

Onion

Peel the onion.

If you soak it briefly in water, the skin comes off more easily.

Cut the onion in half from root to tip, then trim off the hard root end.

Chop into your preferred size (finely or roughly chopped).

I recommend roughly chopped for a nice texture.

おススメは「粗みじん切り」。食感にアクセントがでるから。

How to roughly chop an onion

Cut across the onion’s lines (fibers) into slices about 1cm wide.

Then, cut the pieces crosswise into small chunks.
(I also cut off both ends separately—sorry if that was confusing!💦)

Carrot

Cut off both ends (top and bottom).

Trim the sharp edge at the top slightly to make it round

this is called “mentori” (rounding the edges).

Peel the carrot. It’s easier if you hook your peeler where you rounded the edge.

Cut the carrot in half lengthwise,
then slice into your desired size (not too thick so it cooks evenly).

I recommend cutting it about the same size as the onion

this style is called “shikishi-giri” (square slices).

How to cut carrots into square slices

First cut vertically,

then horizontally.

Cutting them to about the same size as the onions helps everything cook evenly!

Shimeji mushrooms

Prepare about half a pack.

Cut off the root base (the hard, soil-covered part),

then separate the mushrooms by hand.

Garlic

Peel the garlic and mince it.

How to mince garlic

Cut each clove in half lengthwise.

Remove the green sprout in the center if needed (see note below).

Then cut it vertically and horizontally into small pieces.

※You can chop it finely like an onion, but that method takes time and increases the risk of cutting your fingers,
so this is a safer way.

Finally, tap the knife lightly over the garlic until it reaches your preferred fineness.

Should I remove the garlic sprout?

If the center sprout is green, it can taste bitter — it’s best to remove it.
If it’s still white, you can leave it as is!

Ponkuma

The thin skin around the sprout burns easily, so even if it’s not green, I sometimes remove it depending on the dish.

ニンニクの芽の部分▼

Bacon

Cut the bacon into pieces about the same size as the onion and carrot.
Stack a few slices together to make cutting quicker.

Shrimp

After defrosting, drain the shrimp in a sieve and pat them dry with paper towels.

Find the black line (the vein) along the back.

Make a shallow cut along the line with a knife,

and wipe away the black part with paper or a towel.

The vein is the shrimp’s digestive tract and may contain sand,
so always remove it.

STEP

Bring out the aroma

In a frying pan (24–26cm recommended), add the minced garlic and enough oil to cover it,
then turn on the heat.

Tilt the pan slightly and use a spatula so the garlic is submerged in oil.

Choco

What heat level should I use?

Ponkuma

Keep it on low heat when the amount is small. It’s less likely to burn that way.
Garlic burns easily, so be careful.

STEP

Sauté the vegetables

When the garlic becomes fragrant, add the carrots and sauté lightly.

Once they’re coated with oil,
add the onions and a pinch of salt.

Ponkuma

If the pan feels crowded, you can raise the heat slightly (to a weak medium heat),
but stir frequently!
Once the water from the vegetables evaporates, lower the heat again

When the onion becomes translucent and soft,

add the bacon and cook through.

Push the onions, carrots, and bacon to one side of the pan,
then add the shimeji mushrooms and cook lightly.

STEP

Add the shrimp

Add the shrimp, then pour in a little sake (about 1 tablespoon).

A small amount of sake enhances flavor and reduces odor — optional but recommended.

Let the alcohol evaporate as you cook the shrimp and mushrooms together.

STEP

Add rice and seasonings

Add the warm rice, butter, and chicken bouillon (consommé).

Ponkuma

If you’re worried about burning, keep the heat low

Mix well until everything is combined.

Stir occasionally from the bottom to the top for even cooking.

STEP

Finish up

Serve on a plate and sprinkle with parsley (if available).
Your dish is ready to enjoy!

Choco

Hey, why do you add 1 tablespoon of salt to 500ml of water when defrosting shrimp?

Ponkuma

When you defrost shrimp in salt water (about the same salinity as seawater), it keeps the flavor inside and makes the texture firm and juicy!
Seawater has about 3.5% salt — that’s roughly 35g of salt per 1 liter of water.
So for 500ml, it’s about 17g (or 1 tablespoon) — the perfect match!

Chef’s Tip

The dark line along the shrimp’s back is its digestive tract, which may contain sand or residue.
It can affect both texture and color, so it’s best to remove it when using medium or large shrimp.
For small shrimp, it’s fine to leave it in — the taste won’t change much.

(At our house, we still remove it because my kids requested it 💦)

Fun Fact about Pilaf

Did you know the origin of pilaf comes from Turkey’s “Pilav”? 🇹🇷
It later spread to France, where it evolved into the “pilaf” we know today.
Traditionally, pilaf is made by sautéing raw rice before simmering it,
which is quite different from fried rice or stir-fried dishes made with pre-cooked rice.
In Japan, though, many people enjoy the “Japanese-style pilaf” made by seasoning and stir-frying cooked rice — a delicious local twist! ( ´ ▽ ` )

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