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Thai Fried Rice
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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
Don’t use hot or warm rice. The fried rice will be clumpy and gummy.
20 minutes
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1
tablespoon Thai fish sauce
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1
teaspoon soy sauce
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1
teaspoon water
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1
teaspoon white sugar
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4
-
1
tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
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2
eggs, lightly beaten
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4
ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
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4
scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced, reserved separately
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1
large shallot, minced
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1
garlic clove, minced
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¼
cup minced fresh cilantro
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Sliced cucumber and lime wedges, to serve
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pickled chilies, to serve (optional)

Recipe
Pickled Chiles

MILK STREET RECIPES
How to make Thai fried rice (without a wok!)

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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.See Demo
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02In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until just smoking. Pour in the eggs and cook, stirring, until just set. Transfer the eggs to a plate. Add the pancetta to the skillet and cook over medium until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the plate with the eggs.See Demo
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03Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet and return to medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites, shallot and garlic, then cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes.See Demo
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04Stir the fish sauce mixture, then pour over the rice. Cook, stirring, until well mixed. Stir in the pancetta and egg, breaking up the egg. Transfer to a large platter and sprinkle with cilantro and scallion greens. Serve with cucumber, lime wedges and pickled chilies.See Demo