Thai Inspired 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 a large skillet or wok over medium heat and cook bacon until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving bacon grease in a bowl. Spoon 2 tablespoons grease back into the skillet.
• Increase heat to medium-high and cook garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomato and pineapple and stir-fry until warmed through, about 2 minutes.
• Increase heat to high and add 1 tablespoon bacon grease. Add rice and stir-fry, breaking up with a spatula so it gets coated well with bacon grease. Cook for about 3 minutes. Season with ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper.
• Move rice mixture to one side of the skillet or wok and pour beaten eggs onto the empty side. Stir-fry until eggs are almost set, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix eggs with rice mixture. Fold in bacon bits. Serve with cucumber, green onions, cilantro, lemon wedges, and chile peppers.

THAI-INSPIRED BEEF FRIED RICE

Steps:

• Heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil and cook shallot and minced chiles until translucent and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Mix in ground beef and cook, stirring often, until evenly browned, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef mixture to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium and stir in rice, breaking up any lumps. Allow rice to cook, folding it constantly to soak up the juices from the wok, about 10 minutes. Make a well in the middle of the rice and add beaten eggs. Swirl the eggs and rice together with small circular motions until all the rice is coated with eggs.
• Return the beef mixture to the wok and toss to combine. Drizzle with soy sauce, fish sauce, and oyster sauce while tossing to mix. Cook for another few minutes until well combined. Remove from heat. Fold in cilantro and basil.
• Distribute between 2 bowls and squeeze 1 lime wedge on each serving.

KAO PAD (THAI-STYLE FRIED RICE)

Steps:

• Choose and prepare vegetables. Select a combination with a variety of colors.
• In a wok, heat the oil and stir fry the ginger and garlic until golden.
• Remove them with a slotted spoon and save for later.
• In the same oil, stir-fry the vegetables until just cooked. Add the harder ones (like carrots) first, and the tender ones (like sprouts) last.
• Remove the vegetables from the wok and set aside.
• Add the rice to the wok and heat thoroughly.
• With your stirring spoon, make a hole in the center of the rice, down to the wok and put in the eggs.
• Stir until they are pretty well set before you mix them into the rice. The more you cook the eggs before stirring them into the rice, the drier the dish will be.
• Add the tomatoes, the reserved ginger and garlic and the stir-fried vegetables.
• Finally, mix in the chili sauce, soy sauce and lime juice.
• For serving, top each serving with thin slices of scallions. Put thin slices of lime on the side.

THAI-STYLE FRIED RICE

Steps:

• Combine the chile and 2 tablespoons of the fish sauce in a small dipping bowl. Set aside. Heat a well-seasoned wok or frying pan over high heat. Add the oil and almost immediately add the garlic, ginger, and 2 tablespoons of scallions. Stir constantly for about 40 seconds. Be careful not to burn the mixture. Add the pork and continue to stir for 3 minutes, or until the pork is no longer pink.
• Stir in the bok choy and cook until it is just tender, a couple of minutes. Stir in the cooked rice. Add the remaining tablespoon of fish sauce and heat through, about 2 minutes.
• Serve immediately, garnish with cilantro, cucumber, the remaining tablespoon of scallion, and the lime. Serve the dipping sauce on the side.