Sizzling Rice Soup combines the crisp freshness of vegetables with the tender bite of shrimp and scallops cooked in a richly seasoned broth. The dish is topped off with golden, crispy rice that adds a satisfying crunch to the flavorful soup.
Prep. Preheat the oven to 325˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Rinse. Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs clear.
Cook the rice according to the directions on the package or cook it in the instant pot. To cook it in the Instant Pot, transfer the rice to an Instant Pot and stir in the water, sesame oil, and salt. Close the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 12 minutes before removing the lid of the pressure cooker and fluffing the rice with a fork.
Cool. Spread the cooked rice over the parchment-lined baking sheet and let it cool completely. Then, bake the rice for 20 minutes to dry it out.
Divide. Break the dried rice into 16 equal portions and set aside.
For the Soup
Sauté the aromatics. In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Make the broth. Pour the vegetable broth into the pot and bring it to a boil. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. Reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes.
Cook the seafood. While the soup is simmering, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a separate pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and the scallops and season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Sauté until the shrimp turn pink and opaque, and the scallops become opaque in the center. Remove the seafood from the pan and set aside.
Sauté the veggies. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the same pan you cooked the seafood in. Add the mushrooms, carrots, snow peas, and the white portions of the bok choy. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and sauté until the mushrooms start to soften and the veggies are just a little bit tender but slightly crisp.
Put it all together. Return the seafood to the pan with the veggies and toss everything together. Divide the seafood-veggie mixture between 8 soup bowls. Then, divide the broth evenly between the bowls.
Get ready to fry. Heat the canola oil over medium heat in a 2-quart saucepan until a candy thermometer reads 350˚F.
Fry the rice. Add 4 portions of rice to the hot oil and fry for 30 to 45 seconds or until crispy. Use a spider skimmer to take the rice out of the oil. Repeat with the remaining rice. Add 2 portions of rice to each bowl of soup.
Serve. Garnish with chopped green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and serve.
Notes
Make sure to rinse the rice to remove the starch. This will result in a crispier texture. Then, dry the rice after rinsing to ensure it fries to a crisp instead of turning soggy.
To cook the rice, you can follow my recipe and use the Instant Pot or follow the instructions on the rice packaging.
Avoid crowding the pan when sautéing the seafood and veggies. To achieve a proper sauté, you may have to cook them in batches.
Fry the rice in small batches to maintain the temperature of the oil and for consistent crispiness.
Store the soup and crispy rice by cooling them first and then placing them into separate containers. Refrigerate them for up to 4 days or freeze for 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating. Warm up the soup by gently heating it in a saucepan, stirring until warm. Spread the rice on a baking sheet and heat it in a 400˚F oven for 5 to 10 minutes.