Thai Fried Rice

5 from 29 votes

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

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Thai

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Ingredients

Shrimp (or Protein of Choice)

1/2 lb shrimp 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

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 can sub regular basil
2 eggs beaten
3 tbsp neutral oil I used avocado oil

Optional Garnish

Thai Basil
Lime

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a bowl, add peeled and deveined shrimp and marinate with soy sauce, salt, white pepper, neutral oil, baking soda and cornstarch for 15 minutes.
In a mortar and pestle, combine garlic and thai chili peppers into a paste and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together oyster sauce, light soy sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar, white pepper, and msg.
In 3 tbsp of neutral oil over high heat, saute shrimp for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Remove and set aside.
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.
Push the ingredients to the side, then add eggs and scramble (add 1 tbsp more oil if needed to cook the eggs). Mix together.
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.
Add shrimp and basil and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes over high heat. Garnish with limes and more basil and enjoy!

Notes

I used shrimp but you can substitute with another protein of your choice (like chicken, beef, crab, or even tofu).

I prefer long grain white rice for this recipe due to the lower moisture content but you can substitute with another white rice, if needed.

Fresh rice will not work, as it will be too moist and your fried rice will be soggy. You have two options: 1. you can use leftover old rice (rice that was cooked previously and refrigerated for at least one day) or 2. you can cook rice in preparation for this dish and lay it out on a baking sheet uncovered, in the refrigerator overnight. This will help dry out the rice.

When cooking with dried out, day old rice straight from the refrigerator, you'll notice that your rice may be clumpy and dried together. You want to make sure to crumble your rice as you're cooking it so each rice grain gets cooked and coated in all of the delicious aromatics and flavors.

Thai Basil is used in Southeast Asian cooking extensively because of it’s spicy and savory quality. It’s great cooked in your dish or as a garnish. There’s nothing quite like it; however, I know it can be hard to come by at times. I find mine sometimes at my local Chinese grocery (99 Ranch) but it’s never guaranteed.

Thai Chili Peppers are used in countless Thai dishes; however, they can be hard to come by – I’ve found them pretty consistently only at my local Chinese grocery (99 Ranch) but no other grocery stores.

If you can’t find Thai Chili Peppers, I would substitute with Serrano Peppers. Note, Serrano Peppers are not as spicy, so you may want to increase the amount, depending on your spice tolerance. If you are sensitive to spice, start off with less than you think you need – trust me, Thai spicy is much spicier than other cuisines!

Palm Sugar is a sugar made from palm trees that is less processed than white or brown sugar. It’s used in a lot of Southeast Asian cooking and has a nutty, caramel-y flavor. It’s usually sold in circular discs – I purchase mine from my local 99 Ranch.

MSG – As you know, I love to use MSG in moderation as a flavor enhancer. This is always optional.

This recipe comes together very quickly once you start cooking in your hot wok or pan. The key to pulling off a quick-cooking recipe is to have everything prepped and available before you begin cooking. I like to have my sauce premixed, and all ingredients portioned and prepped in bowls next to my cooking station. Having all of your ingredients readily available and within arm's reach will make this the most seamless cooking process.

Storage and Reheating your Thai Fried Rice

You can store this in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. I don't like to freeze Fried Rice but if you want, you can 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