Classic Thai Fried Rice Recipes

THAI FRIED RICE RECIPE WITH SHRIMP (KHAO PAD GOONG ข้าวผัดกุ้ง)

Steps:

• If you're using whole fresh shrimp like I did, first pinch off the head, and peel the outer shell of the shrimp, leaving only the tail on (that's Thai style). You can also devein them if you'd like, but for small shrimp, to me it doesn't really matter.
• Peel 2 cloves of garlic, and then just finely mince them
• Slice ¼ of a sweet white onion into medium sized strips
• Finely dice about 3 - 4 green onions
• Take just 1 leaf of Chinese broccoli (kai-lan), slice it in half first along the spine, and then slice it into 1 centimeter sized strips
• Turn on your stove to medium high, heat up your wok (or frying pan), and add about 1 tablespoon of oil
• Once your oil is hot, add the garlic first, and stir fry continuously for about 15 seconds or so, until it gets nice and fragrant
• Next, toss in your shrimp, and fry for about 30 seconds - your shrimp should start to turn pink and feel more firm
• Add in a little less than ½ of your rice first. This is going to soak up all those delicious shrimp juices and oils and keep your rice nice and dry. Stir fry for about 10 more seconds - This is a little known trick to make good rice, so it remains nice and dry
• Scoot all your rice to one side of the pan, and then crack in the egg into the empty side
• Whirl the egg up, let it cook for a few seconds, and then start to mix it up with the rice and shrimp
• Keep stir frying for about 20 seconds until the egg is fully cooked, and then add in the rest of your rice, and give it a quick stir
• Add ½ tablespoon of soy sauce, ½ tablespoon of oyster sauce, just a pinch of sugar (optional), and continue stir frying your rice, making sure all the sauce get mixed in
• Then add your chopped Chinese broccoli and onions, and stir fry for another 30 seconds until the vegetables wilt, but they can still be crisp and not fully cooked
• Lastly, toss in your green onions, stir it a few more seconds, and it's ready
• Immediately dish your fried rice onto a plate
• Slice off a wedge of lime, and serve it on the plate next to the rice
• For the final touch, I like to sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper on top to give some extra flavor
• Add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce to a small bowl
• Slice about 5 Thai chilies (you can add more or less, up to you), and add them to the fish sauce
• Finally, I like it with a little squeeze of about ½ of a lime - but this is optional - and at many Thai restaurants it's only fish sauce and chilies
• That's is, give it a stir, and set it aside

THAI FRIED RICE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large wok or a large skillet over medium high heat. (Add 1 tbsp extra oil if using a skillet)
• Add garlic and onion, stir fry for 30 seconds.
• Add prawns/shrimp and white part of green onion, stir fry for 1 minute.
• Push everything to the side and pour the egg onto the other side. Scramble it quickly - about 20 seconds.
• Add the rice and Sauce of choice. Stir fry for 2 minutes, adding green part of green onions halfway through, until all the rice is coated with the Sauce.
• Serve immediately, garnished with fresh cilantro/coriander with tomato and cucumbers on the side. (See in post for more serving ideas)

CLASSIC THAI FRIED RICE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
• Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
• Add the curry paste and stir-fry until it releases its aroma.
• Add the tofu and cook another 3 minutes.
• Add the rice, mix and fry for 2 minutes.
• Add the soy sauce, green onion and cilantro and transfer to a serving dish and garnish.
• Serve immediately.
• Refrigerated it will keep a couple of weeks.