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Thai Fried Rice
Cooked in under five minutes in the open-air kitchen of his home in Thailand, chef Andy Ricker’s fried rice was speedy, simple—and delicious. Pork belly, shallot and garlic added bold flavors. Soy and fish sauces added savory depth. Fresh herbs kept everything bright and light. We returned to Milk Street and got to work deconstructing Thai cooking. Ricker prefers to use a wok because it allows him to move food away from the hot oil at the center to the cooler sides of the pan. In a nod to the Western kitchen, we began with a large nonstick skillet, though you can use a wok if you have one (and a burner powerful enough to heat it). Pork belly can be hard to find in the U.S. Looking for a substitute we found ground pork too greasy and bacon too smoky. Pancetta—if culturally odd—was just right, which makes sense since it’s cured pork belly. In a skillet, we had to reverse-engineer the process and move foods in and out, starting with the eggs, then the pancetta. We liked the aromatic flavor of jasmine rice, but long-grain white or basmati work, too. Thai restaurants offer condiments for fried rice, including sliced green chilies in white vinegar. We came up with our own pickled chilies. Use it with the fried rice or any dish that needs a hit of gentle heat and acid.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t use hot or warm rice. The fried rice will be clumpy and gummy.
20 minutes
Ingredients
-
1
tablespoon Thai fish sauce
-
1
teaspoon soy sauce
Directions
-
01In a bowl, stir together the fish sauce, soy sauce, water and sugar. Set aside. Use your hands to break up the rice so no clumps remain. Set aside.
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May 18, 2022
thumbs up
I didnt have time to let the rice cool properly but still everybody loved it. I also forgot to dispose of the extra pancetta grease and I used way more than one tablespoon. so that helped. :-)
Made this combined with a sweet potato & tofu Thai red curry dish, and it was a phenomenal hit. Don't skimp on the pancetta, as it really enhances the flavor of this dish to make it more savory. My husband said this recipe is a keeper. Thanks for creating an excellent fried rice recipe, Milk Street!
This didn't come out right. When you sort out the clumps in the rice, is there something else you're supposed to do with the rice? Is it supposed to be boiled or something?
Hi Jarrod -
The rice should already be cooked and chilled (this is a great use of leftover white rice from takeout) and is then stir-fried with the garlic and ginger for 2 minutes in Step 3. The fish sauce mixture gets added and then the rice is cooked another couple of minutes. Since the rice only needs to be heated through it doesn't need any further cooking.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
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This was a tasty and uncomplicated dish, perfect for the leftover rice from a Chinese carry-in dinner. The ingredients are things I commonly have on hand, and it came together quickly. My husband was stationed in Thailand during the Viet Nam era, and he enjoyed the rice very much. He said it reminded him of the rice he was served while stationed there. I will make again!