Thai Fried Rice
Fried rice made with day-old rice, pork shoulder and egg, served with cucumber, lime, and a sharp chili-fish sauce on the side.
Prik nam pla is stirred together first, while the cold rice is loosened up, and then the cooking moves quickly from garlic and pork to egg, rice, and the pre-mixed seasoning. Have everything ready by the wok, so the rice can get high heat without pauses. Loose, completely cold rice determines whether the khao pad turns out fried and grainy rather than soft and clumped.
Ingredients
For the fried rice
- 400 g jasmine rice, cooked the day before and cooled completely
- 400 g pork shoulder, cut into thin strips
- 4 eggs
- 6 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 onion, cut into thin wedges
- 4 scallions, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp white pepper, ground
Prik nam pla
- 4 tbsp fish sauce
- 4 Thai chilies, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp lime juice
To serve
- 1 cucumber, cut into diagonal slices
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
How to make it
- Stir together the prik nam pla in a small bowl: fish sauce, lime juice, the finely chopped Thai chilies, and the finely chopped garlic. The sauce should taste sharply salty with a distinct bite of chili. Set the bowl aside for the table.
- Take the cold jasmine rice out of the refrigerator and separate the grains with your fingers until no clumps remain and the rice falls loosely from your hand. Cold, dry grains absorb the seasoning and won't turn mushy in the wok.
- Stir 3 tbsp fish sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, and ground white pepper together in a cup until the sugar has dissolved. With the seasoning pre-mixed, you can pour it in all at once, and the rice won't have time to scorch while you measure.
- Set the largest wok you have over high heat and let it heat through until a drop of water evaporates instantly. Pour in the canola oil and sauté the finely chopped garlic for the rice until it smells fragrant and just begins to color. Space matters, because in too small a wok the rice will steam instead of fry.Chef's tip Garlic in hot oil goes from fragrant to bitter in seconds. Pull the next ingredient in the moment the edges turn pale gold — waiting for real color means it will be scorched by the time the rice goes in.
- Add the pork shoulder strips and spread them in a single layer. Leave them untouched until the undersides have browned, then stir and cook until the meat is cooked through with no pink center.
- Push the meat to one side of the wok and crack the eggs onto the open space. Let them set, then gently stir them together for 1-2 minutes, until they form large, soft curds.Chef's tip Cooking the eggs on their own patch of wok lets them set into curds before mixing. Crack them straight over the rice or meat and they coat everything in a thin scrambled film instead.
- Add the onion wedges and the separated rice. Fry for 3 minutes, turning the rice and pressing it out against the sides of the wok. The rice is ready when every grain is heated through and glistens with oil.
- Pour the seasoning down along the hot side of the wok and quickly toss it through the rice for 2 minutes. The rice should turn an even light golden brown, and the aroma should shift to toasted and slightly sweet.Chef's tip Poured down the hot metal, the sauce hits the surface and concentrates instead of pooling under the rice. Pour into the middle and the grains soak it up wet and steamy rather than picking up that toasted edge.
- Fold in the scallions and cook for 1 minute, until they have just wilted but still have some crunch. Season to taste with fish sauce, as the rice should taste distinctly salty — the cucumber and lime will take the edge off at the table.
- Divide the fried rice among four flat plates and arrange the cucumber slices and a lime wedge alongside each. Set the bowl of prik nam pla on the table so each diner can squeeze lime over their own rice and spoon on chili-fish sauce to taste.
