I don’t know about you, but I really like fried rice at the local Japanese steak house.
That is, I did like fried rice at the local Japanese steak house until they went out of business earlier this year.
Well, happily, my son Josh, after a lot of experimenting, has come up with a recipe for fried rice that’s actually better than what I used to enjoy at the steak house.
And here is Josh’s recipe…
Thai Basil and Vegetable Fried Rice
1 cup cooked rice, white or brown, per person (for two people, I prepare one cup of uncooked rice per directions listed here)
2 Tbs Kikkoman soy sauce (Note: both soy sauce and fish sauce are calculated for a serving of two people. Add 2 tsp extra for each additional cup of rice if serving more.)
2 Tbs fish sauce (this is like ketchup in Thai cooking, and it’s crucial for the Thai flavor)
1/2 cup yellow onion, minced
1/2 cup carrot, finely minced
2 green onion stalks, chopped in 1/2 inch lengths
1 cup mung bean sprouts
1 egg, scrambled
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn roughly
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, whole
1 Tbs raw, natural sugar
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Thai hot pepper, crushed to pieces or finely minced (or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes — only add either ingredient if you want your rice HOT)
2 Tbs oil (many recipes I found call for vegetable oil, which is not healthy at all. I used olive oil, which worked fine, despite a few recipes warning me not to use olive oil. Coconut oil would also be good if you can find it. Actually, I plan to try coconut oil next because that will add a lot to the flavor.)
Salt and pepper, optional
Heat your wok on medium heat and add oil. When oil is hot, add both garlic and hot pepper. Stir rigourously for 1-3 seconds — things should really be sizzling — then add yellow onion and carrots. It’s important here to NOT burn or even slightly brown the garlic. Adding the onion and carrots will slow the cooking.
Add sugar. It will dissolve and mix into the ingredients almost instantly.
Continue to stir until onions shrink and turn translucent. Push everything to one side, or make an empty crater at the center of the wok.
Add additional oil if needed.
Crack egg over empty space and cook, stirring to scramble. When egg is fully cooked, mix garlic, hot pepper, onions, and carrots together.
Add rice. Pour in soy sauce and fish sauce. Stir until rice takes on the “fried” look. Add a little extra soy sauce if the rice is not brown enough.
Now add your salt and pepper, if using.
Stir constantly, paying close attention to the bottom of the wok. You don’t want the rice to stick.
Add chopped mung bean sprouts and green onion and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Turn off heat but leave wok on burner. Add remaining ingredients, the basil and cilantro. Stir well until both are fully integrated into the rice. Then remove from heat and you’re ready to serve!
I like to garnish with a little extra cilantro on top. You can also add a lime wedge and some raw, cool cucumber slices. Both additions are great if you like your Thai fried rice extra spicy.
Thanks to Josh for sharing this recipe. After going over it again to post, I’m definitely ready to make a batch soon… like maybe tonight.
If you have any insights or thoughts on making fried rice, I hope you’ll share them here.
