Sesame 'scallop' fried rice gives a plant based scallop a taste of the sea with a secret ingredient, and works well with this vibrant and savory vegetable fried rice!
recipe originally published July 22, 2013
I love a good bowl of fried rice. I have a combination of ingredients that combine to recreate that typical Chinese take-out flavor we love so much - mine is plant based.
While shrimp is a typical fried rice protein, scallops are not. I never liked shrimp much anyway. My scallops have a tangy flavor, and more resemble a scallop in texture and looks:
To mimic a sea flavor that magically transforms heart of palm into scallops, I added arame to the sauté. Arame is a sea vegetable I learned about and used in Mark Reinfeld's training, and it imparts a savory, umame sea flavor. The dried shiitake is another favorite I like to pair with the arame - the flavors and textures combine well.
Broccoli, spinach and other greens round out the veggie and protein quotient, and sesame oil brings another Asian flavor I love.
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Sesame Scallop Fried Rice
A plant based scallop gets a taste of the sea with a secret ingredient, and works well with this vibrant and savory vegetable fried rice!
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced fine
- 1 can heart of palm, drained
- ⅓ cup dried arame
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 1 to 1 ½ cups snap peas, cut in half
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 2-3 trees broccoli, chopped
- ½ box silken tofu
- ½ tablespoon turmeric
- ½ tablespoon onion powder
- 4 servings cooked brown rice
- ⅓ cup dried shiitake mushrooms
- vegan / gluten free soy sauce
Instructions
- In large pan or wok over medium heat, warm sesame oil and garlic. Sauté heart of palm, arame, onion, snap peas, spinach, and broccoli until soft.
- Whisk silken tofu with turmeric, onion powder and splash soy sauce, add to sautéed veggies. Cook several minutes, stirring often, until the liquid consistency cooks off to solid, tofu will cling to veggies.
- Add cooked rice and shiitake, stir to combine. Add soy sauce to taste.
Notes
egg, dairy and gluten free, vegan recipe
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 334Total Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 285mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 8gSugar: 6gProtein: 9g
nutrition calculations results vary by calculator, are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment.
about Kristina:
Kristina is spabettie! She found cooking at an early age, and created spabettie in 2010 to share vegan recipes. Kristina turned her culinary training into sharing vibrant vegan food! Read more...
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[email protected] says
Thanks for sharing one of my favourite and childhood dishes. But "scallops" sound so interesting to the dish! Have you tried adding white pepper and toasted sesame oil to the dish? It's the key to the best fried rice in Taiwan 😉
Kristina Sloggett says
I am halfway there, the sesame oil I used was toasted! 🙂 I'll have to pick up some white pepper, thanks for the tip! 🙂
Kelly says
Another one of your recipes I've got to try! Looks amazing.
Kristina Sloggett says
we loved this, Kelly - hope you do too!
Heather @ Better With Veggies says
Wow - seriously!! SO much more creative than me, I love how your brain works. I would have never thought of this. So good!
Kristina Sloggett says
it was really good, even better than I had hoped! XO
lindsay says
that sounds heavenly friend. i love the palm and i ADORE scallops. Perfect combo
Kristina Sloggett says
thanks, Linds - the texture is there, and I think the flavor is better than a scallop 😉
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
This is so ridiculouly creative! I would have never thought to go there. Can I borrow your mind one day? 😉
Kristina Sloggett says
oooh, only if you return it in better working order - the memory loss lately is CUH RAZY. 😉
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
Ohhhh... you don't want to trust me there. 😉
Lauren @ Oatmeal after Spinning says
Oooh - I love this idea (and that we were both on the "seafood" wavelength today). I would NEVER think of cooking hearts of palm like this. In fact, I usually just open up the can and dig in.
Kristina Sloggett says
ha, me too! they often end up on salads. I've had this idea for a while, so I am happy I finally did it and that it worked well!
happy weekend, friend! XO
Heather (Where's the Beach) says
I never had scallops even when I ate meat. But I see so many shows now where people use them. I'm loving the looks of this. I just need to pick up the arame
Kristina Sloggett says
Heather you would LOVE arame! unique flavor and SUPER healthy - nutrient rich.
Miz says
ahhhh I love me some scallops
and shrimp
Methinks in a previous life I resided in the sea.
Kristina Sloggett says
yes! while my previous life I stayed as far away from it as I could? 🙂 (I am not a swimmer...)
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen says
Thank you for showing me that not only CAN you cook hearts of palm, I'm not the only one who finds their texture to be eerily similar to seafood. (I had made a hearts of palm 'ceviche' before, but it had so much other stuff in it, I'm not sure the whole seafood concept went through.) This looks wonderful, and I do believe you might have inspired me to go with a particular recipe for next week I'd been mulling over...
Kristina Sloggett says
YAY, I love to inspire! I look forward to seeing what you're making! I have wanted to do exactly this for a while now, and I was happy with the result! 🙂
the 3volution of j3nn says
Cute scallop makeover. I hear hearts of palm make good pasta substitutes too.
Kristina Sloggett says
oooh, I am intrigued - and trying to picture this... unraveling them like a noodle maybe? or more like a gnocchi?