Authentic Thai Fried Rice (VIDEO)

Thai Basil Fried Rice in a bowl with limes and chopsticks.

5 from 30 votes

Authentic Thai Fried Rice (VIDEO)

This Thai Fried rice is extremely fragrant, delicious, and so much better than takeout! It's super versitile and can be paired with any protein of your choice.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Thai

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Equipment

Ingredients

Shrimp (or Protein of Choice)

1/2 lb shrimp medium sized (U40-50)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tbsp neutral oil
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cornstarch

Garlic & Chili Paste

5 cloves garlic
2 thai chili peppers adjust to your spice preference

Sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp palm sugar sub regular sugar
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp msg

Other Ingredients

3 tbsp neutral oil I used avocado oil
2 cups Basmati or Jasmine rice cooked and dried out in the fridge overnight
1/2 onion sliced
1 shallot sliced
2 cups thai basil plus more for garnish; can sub regular basil
2 eggs beaten

Garnish

4 Lime wedges
1 tbsp chili flakes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a bowl, add the peeled and deveined shrimp along with soy sauce, salt, white pepper, neutral oil, baking soda and cornstarch. Mix until combined and marinate for 15 minutes.
In a mortar and pestle, combine garlic and thai chili peppers into a paste and set aside. Alternatively, chop the garlic and peppers and scrape alongside a cutting board and the flat edge of a knife to form a paste.
In a small bowl, mix together oyster sauce, light soy sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar, white pepper, and msg.
Add the neutral oil over high heat in a wok or large pan until just smoking. Add the shrimp and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Remove and set aside, leaving the residual oil in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium high.
In the same pan, fry the garlic/chili paste for 15 seconds until fragrant, then immediately add shallots and onion. Stir fry for 1 minute until the onions are softened.
Push the ingredients to the side, then add eggs and scramble (add 1 tbsp more oil if needed to cook the eggs). Mix together.
Turn the heat to high, then add the day old rice and mix together over high heat, stir frying until the rice is toasted and relatively dry. Add the premixed sauce and combine, stir frying for another 2-3 minutes until the rice has absorbed the sauce.
Add shrimp and basil and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes. Garnish with limes, chili flakes and more basil and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Note: A few of the ingredients you need to make authentic Thai Fried Rice will require a visit to your local Asian grocery store. In the event that you cannot find them, I provided substitutions below.

protein - I used shrimp but you can use chicken, beef, crab, or even tofu.
basmati or Jasmine rice - I recommend long grain white rice for this recipe due to the lower moisture content. Use old rice, as fresh rice will be too moist and the fried rice will turn out soggy.
Thai basil - Thai Basil is different than regular basil - it's a bit spicy and savory, and adds so much to dishes. However, I know it can be hard to come by at times - if you can't find it, use regular basil.
Thai chili peppers - Thai chili peppers are very spicy, so you only need a little bit (if you are sensitive to heat, I'd recommend using less). If you can't find them, use serrano peppers- they're not as spicy, so you may want to increase the amount.
palm sugar - Palm sugar are sold in circular discs and are less processed than white or brown sugar - they're used in a lot of Southeast Asian cooking and have a nutty, caramel-y flavor. If you can't find it, use brown sugar.
MSG - I use MSG in moderation as an optional flavor enhancer.

Crumble Old Rice - When cooking with dried out, day old rice straight from the refrigerator, you'll notice that the rice may be clumped and dried together. Crumble the rice as you add it to your wok or pan - this ensures each rice grain gets cooked and coated in all of the delicious aromatics and flavors (versus having clumps of unseasoned rice in the finished dish).

Storage + Reheating - Store any leftover Thai Fried Rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can also freeze in an airtight container or freezer safe bag for 2-3 weeks.

I like to reheat fried rice in a hot wok or pan; I heat up 2-3 tablespoons of oil and give it a quick stir fry over high heat. You can also reheat it in the microwave with a damp paper towel to help steam the rice and properly reheat it.

Nutrition