Shirasu Fried Rice
しらすチャーハン · Shirasu Chahan
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Shirasu are tiny dried baby sardines, a staple in Japanese kitchens that are eaten whole, bones and all, so they are a gentle, natural source of calcium for growing children. In this fried rice they are stir-fried briefly with green onion and just a touch of salt and pepper, then tossed with freshly cooked rice off the heat, so the rice stays soft and fluffy rather than oily. The gentle saltiness of the shirasu does most of the seasoning, which is why it needs so little added salt. Kids tend to take to it right away, and it comes together in just a few minutes.
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 60 griceJapanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- 20.4 ggreen onion (naga negi)Japanese long onion, thicker and milder than Western scallions. Substitute: Scallions or the white part of a leek.
- 7.5 gshirasu (dried baby sardines)Tiny, lightly salted and dried whole baby sardines that add gentle saltiness and calcium. Substitute: A small amount of flaked canned sardines, or omit.
Seasonings
- 3.6 gvegetable oil
- 0.3 gsalt
- to tastepepper
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- rice (米)
- Japanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- green onion (naga negi) (ねぎ)
- Japanese long onion, thicker and milder than Western scallions. Substitute: Scallions or the white part of a leek.
- shirasu (dried baby sardines) (しらす干し)
- Tiny, lightly salted and dried whole baby sardines that add gentle saltiness and calcium. Substitute: A small amount of flaked canned sardines, or omit.
Directions
- 1
Finely chop the green onion.
- 2
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the green onion, and stir-fry.
- 3
Add the shirasu, salt, and pepper, and stir-fry briefly.
- 4
Turn off the heat, add the cooked rice, and mix everything together well.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 253.5 kcal | 507 kcal | 253.5 kcal |
| Protein | 5.7 g | 11.4 g | 5.7 g |
| Fat | 4.4 g | 8.7 g | 4.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 48.2 g | 96.3 g | 48.2 g |
| Fiber | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 31.5 mg | 63 mg | 31.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.9 mg | 0.5 mg |
| Potassium | 108 mg | 216 mg | 108 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 253.5 kcal | 5.7 g | 4.4 g | 48.2 g | 0.8 g | 0.6 g | 31.5 mg | 0.5 mg | 108 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 507 kcal | 11.4 g | 8.7 g | 96.3 g | 1.5 g | 1.2 g | 63 mg | 0.9 mg | 216 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
