Thai Inspired Fried Rice Supreme—fried rice with a Twist

A One Dish Meal

Many cultures have special dishes that rely primarily on rice. Think Indian Biryani, Spanish Paella, or Italian Risotto. Persian jeweled rice pilaf is a spectacular dish, served at weddings and other celebrations. You can find my recipe for that fabulous creation, here.

Most Americans think of fried rice as Chinese take-out, a side dish, some using it as a tasty substitute for the white rice that's usually served with the meat and seafood dishes on the menu. But fried rice is not only Chinese. It's actually popular across Asia, with each region putting its own spin on the dish.

In Asia (and generally speaking, among Asians), fried rice is never served as a substitute for white rice. Side note—although the function of white rice remains the same in any rice-based culinary tradition—it's there to serve as a foundation for the vegetables and protein and to soak up any sauces, the particular variety of rice used will vary from one culinary tradition, and from one dish, to another. If you've ever thought all white rice is the same, take another look. Each variety has its own aroma and flavor, and each has its own unique texture, perfectly suited to the food it will be served with.

In Asia, fried rice is a snack, or maybe a quick lunch, made from leftover white rice. Both Chinese and Thai fried rice contain egg, but beyond that, they're quite different.

In Thailand, fried rice is street food. This dish, called khao pad, is made with leftover jasmine rice, Thai fish sauce, Golden Mountain Sauce (made mostly from soybeans and salt, but with other ingredients as well), and often oyster sauce. Some use soy sauce, some don't. You won't find vegetables other than green onions and cilantro in their version, and lime wedges and a special sauce called Prik nam pla (made of fish sauce and red chilies) are always served on the side.

Chinese fried rice, chǎofàn, is made with cooled long grain rice and diced vegetables. Some say soy sauce is essential; others say soy sauce should not be used. You won’t find fish sauce, but you will find sesame oil.

Another difference is in the way they’re cooked. The Chinese stir fry their rice over medium heat, letting the flavors slowly meld into each other. Thai people stir fry their rice over high heat, giving it a smoky flavor and allowing it to develop a nice char. Both often include a choice of protein, such as shrimp, chicken, or pork.

Another interesting, and tasty version of fried rice is from Ecuador. The name, chaulafan, reflects its Chinese roots, but it contains other ingredients, such as bacon, raisins, and Ecuadorian herbs and spices. A large influx of Chinese immigrants came to Ecuador in the late 19th century, fleeing political upheaval, and they remained. Over time, they blended the locally available ingredients and cooking traditions with their own cuisine.

This fried rice is going to be the main event at a four-course dinner. I want it to incorporate multiple food groups and be a real show-stopper. Loosely based on the Thai version, it borrows elements from Persian pilaf as well. One of the things that makes this version different is that it’s filled with a great variety of vegetables, each one adding its flavors to the entirety of the dish.

And here's the challenge…How to incorporate these ingredients without having them overpower and mask the flavor of the rice itself. Experimentation has shown that it's best to cut them into a uniform small size and then to stir fry each vegetable on its own before combining everything at the end.

Serving this dish—To make a nice presentation, first line the bottom of a mixing bowl with the protein of your choice. Meat, seafood, and poultry all work beautifully for omnivores and tofu, sliced seitan, and strips of tempeh are perfect for vegetarians. (More about how to prepare these proteins for this dish below). Once your protein is nicely arranged, fill the bowl with the rice, tamp it down well, and then invert it over a round serving platter. Lift off the bowl, and voilà!

You can also make it vegan by omitting the egg from the recipe.

When rice is this delicious, you really don’t need anything else on the plate. Still, a side of sautéed greens with a kiss of soy sauce is a very nice addition. A while back I posted a recipe for sautéed greens with Moroccan flavors. By following that recipe

On this blog, I’m working within the confines of specific dietary laws—kosher—and that affects the ingredients I can use. Thai fish sauce is made from fish, and it contains ingredients that are not kosher. I’m going to give you a choice between kosher fish sauce made from anchovies and a vegan “Fish Sauce.” The same thing goes for the Oyster Sauce (all shellfish is a no-no). Golden Mountain Sauce is not kosher in that it has no kosher certification, although I can’t find any ingredients in it that aren’t technically kosher. You can use it here, or swap it out for regular soy sauce.

Although the lime and fish sauce are generally added in while the rice is being eaten, I add in some of each while preparing the dish, offering more on the side. There's no heat in this dish as it stands. Chilies will be added by diners as desired.

Tips for success

Plan in advance. It's best to use leftover jasmine rice, cold from the fridge. Make it the day before if you can. This will give you dry, separate grains, rather than sticky ones, essential for the texture of the dish.

Use a wok if possible. The extra surface area and different heat zones make a wok perfect for this dish. Or, use a heavy steel or cast iron pan that can stand up to very high heat. I love this one for gas stoves. For electric or induction cooking, I’d go with this flat-bottomed wok.

Don't overcrowd the pan, or you'll end up with mushy, rather than crispy fried rice. Cook your rice in batches, then add it all back in at the end to combine the ingredients.

For the vegetables, work with a very hot, but not smoking pan. This way they'll develop color (and flavor) on the outside without getting mushy.

Have a bowl at the ready, for collecting the vegetables as they come off the pan.

Now let's make some fried rice!

Although the directions seem lengthy, the whole think will take 15—20 minutes once your protein is ready and your vegetables are cut.

Thai Inspired Vegetable Fried Rice

 There are three parts to this recipe.

The protein…..The vegetables…..The rice

First, the protein. Whether omnivore or vegetarian, your choices are many.

Steak, such as London broil or skirt steak, marinated* and done on the grill or stovetop until nicely charred on the outside and medium-rare within. Slice thinly, against the grain, for a tender chew.

Skinless boneless chicken breast or boneless thighs is a popular choice. Marinate* them for 1-2 hours. Dredge them in flour and quickly pan fried in oil over medium-high heat for a crispy outside with tender and juicy meat within—thighs will take a bit longer than breast—and then sliced crosswise. If you want more crunch, dredge them in flour, then dip them in beaten egg with a splash of water and coat them in panko before pan frying.

Duck breast, one of my favorite things to eat, prepared this way: Score the skin, making sure to not cut into the meat, in both directions to make a diamond pattern. Set the 2 breast halves in the marinade*, meat side down, for about an hour or so. Make sure the skin is dry—wipe with paper towels if necessary, salt them (skin side only), and set them skin down in a dry, cold skillet. Cast iron is perfect if you have it. Turn the heat on to medium low. As the pan heats up, the fat will begin to render out. You should hear a very gentle simmering sound as they cook. Try to leave them undisturbed so that the skin gets very crispy. Let them cook slowly for about 10 minutes until most of the fat is rendered out and the skin is golden brown. Then turn them meat side down and cook them for another 3 minutes. Remove them to a cutting board and let them rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing them, against the grain (lengthwise).

Fresh ahi tuna, dipped in soy sauce, rolled in sesame seeds, and pan seared in very hot oil for 1-2 minutes on each side. Slice thinly against the grain.

Tofu: Preheat the oven to 375°. Start with extra firm tofu. Wrap the block of tofu in a dish towel, set in on a wire rack over a pan, and cover it with something heavy, such as a cast iron pan. Let it rest for about 30 minutes.

Then cut the tofu. You can do cubes if you'd like, but my preferred way is to cut the block in half to make two thinner blocks. Then cut each block into quarters and cut each quarter in half horizontally, to create 8 triangles from each, 16 altogether.

Lay them out on a flat dish and pour the marinade* over. Let them rest for an hour, then wipe them dry with paper towels.

Add a generous splash of oil to an oven-safe skillet—that cast iron is perfect—and fry the tofu on both sides until golden.

Then slide the pan into the oven and bake the tofu for 15 minutes.

Tempeh: Cut the tempeh into 16 triangles and set it in the marinade* for at least 1 hour.

Then brown on both sides in a skillet, with a splash of oil, about 5 minutes per side.

Seitan: You can start with store bought seitan, but it's worth the trouble to make seitan cutlets according to the recipe by Florentina of the veggiesociety.com. She adds silken tofu to the dough, which makes the cutlets tender, rather than chewy, the way seitan can be.

Marinate* the cutlets for a minimum of 1 hour, then sauté them, still coated in the marinade, in a skillet with a splash of oil, for about 5 minutes per side.

Transfer them to a cutting board and slice the cutlets into slices, about 1/2 inch thick.

  The marinade—it’s on the thick side, sort of a paste. You can thin it by stirring in a little cold water.

(these links will take you to kosher* versions of these sauces)

*(the regular fish sauce is not certified kosher, but it’s made from only anchovies and salt)

• 1/4 cup “oyster” sauce

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce or vegetarian “fish” sauce

• juice of ½ lime

• 1 teaspoon palm sugar (or light brown)

• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced or grated

• ¼-½ teaspoon white pepper

Combine all of the above in a small bowl and taste. Adjust proportions to your liking.

Next, the vegetables

• 1-2 large carrots, diced.

• 1/4-1/2 cup frozen baby peas.

• 1-2 zucchini, cut lengthwise into 4 spears and then cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices

• 1 stalk broccoli, stem peeled and diced small, heads cut into very small flowerets.

• Asian eggplant, cut the same way as the zucchini

• Napa cabbage, thinly shredded

• bean sprouts.

Then, the rice and its seasonings

• 6 cups day-old jasmine rice, cold from the fridge.

• Coconut oil, peanut oil, or a neutral oil such as avocado, depending upon whether or not you want an extra backbeat of flavor.

• 3 eggs

• 1 large onion, diced small

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• up to 1 tablespoon grated or minced ginger (optional)

• ⅔ cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, slices halved if they're large.

• 3 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces, white and green parts separated

• 2 tablespoons Golden Mountain Sauce (vegetarian, but not kosher) or soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

• 1 teaspoon palm sugar (or sub with coconut sugar or light brown sugar)

• juice of 1/2 lime

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

• a handful of cilantro, chopped

• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• more lime wedges, for serving

• prik nam pla for serving (Thai fish sauce combined with sliced Thai bird chilis—red and green look pretty together—and sliced garlic) 

• garnish (optional)—sliced cucumbers and wedges of ripe tomato are traditionally served with this dish.d

Method:

• In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce or Golden Mountain Sauce with the oyster sauce and the sugar, and set it aside.

• Prepare your protein choice and have it ready. It's ok to have it at room temperature, as it will be warmed when the hot rice is added.

• Heat a drizzle of oil in your wok or pan until very hot but not smoking. Add the zucchini triangles, give them a light sprinkle of salt, and stir fry them until they turn golden brown. Remove them to the bowl.

• Do the same with all the other vegetables, one at a time, adding each one to the bowl when it's done. This might sound tedious, but each one will only take a few minutes, and this will avoid a crowded pan and ensure that each is cooked to its proper doneness. Add a little more oil as you go, as needed for preventing the vegetables from sticking to the pan and to get them nicely browned.

• The bean sprouts only need about 30 seconds. You want them to remain crisp.

• Add another 1.5 tablespoons oil to the pan, get it good and hot, and add the onion. Stir fry until it's soft and translucent, then add the garlic and the optional ginger if using. Stir fry a few more minutes until the onions just begin to take on color.

• Add the mushrooms and sauté a few more minutes.

• Push the onions, mushrooms, etc to the side of the pan and add about a cup and a half of the cooked, chilled rice, spreading it out so as much as possible contacts the bottom of the pan. Let it cook undisturbed for a minute or two, then pull the vegetables back to the middle and stir it all together. Then push that mixture to the side and add more rice to the pan, using more oil if needed, and repeating the same method as with the first batch.

• Keep cooking the rice this way, adding a little at a time so that it all makes contact with the pan, actually frying.

• When all the rice has been added, push it all to the side, crack in the eggs, and stir them together quickly, scrambling them, until they're done but still soft and shiny.

• Pull the rice back to the center of the pan and stir the eggs into the rice.

• Add all those stir fried vegetables, the white part of the scallions, and the liquid seasonings you've had waiting, and fold it all together to make one big beautiful dish.

• Add several generous grinds of black pepper.

• If the rice needs more salt, add kosher salt, not more soy sauce.

• When it's all steaming hot, your rice is ready. Stir in the chopped cilantro.

  Put it all together and bring it to the table

• Arrange your protein artfully in the bottom of a bowl that's large enough to accommodate all of the rice. Use one with a flat bottom if you have one.

• Add the rice and vegetables over the protein and pack it in well.

• Invert the bowl onto a large round serving platter and lift the bowl off. Your rice should hold its shape, more or less.

• Garnish with the scallion greens and more chopped cilantro if you'd like. You can border the plate with lime wedges, cucumber slices, and tomato, as is traditional. Set out a bowl of prik nam pla, with a little spoon. Alternatively, give each diner their own little ramekin of prik nam pla.

  And one more thing… Not to come off as a food snob….ok, I’m just a tad bit of a food snob… You may or may not know that chopsticks aren’t used in Thailand or with Thai food.

  Do serve your Fried Rice Supreme with forks!