Thai Rice Recipes

THAI FRIED RICE RECIPE WITH SHRIMP (KHAO PAD GOONG ข้าวผัดกุ้ง)

Steps:

• If you're using whole fresh shrimp like I did, first pinch off the head, and peel the outer shell of the shrimp, leaving only the tail on (that's Thai style). You can also devein them if you'd like, but for small shrimp, to me it doesn't really matter.
• Peel 2 cloves of garlic, and then just finely mince them
• Slice ¼ of a sweet white onion into medium sized strips
• Finely dice about 3 - 4 green onions
• Take just 1 leaf of Chinese broccoli (kai-lan), slice it in half first along the spine, and then slice it into 1 centimeter sized strips
• Turn on your stove to medium high, heat up your wok (or frying pan), and add about 1 tablespoon of oil
• Once your oil is hot, add the garlic first, and stir fry continuously for about 15 seconds or so, until it gets nice and fragrant
• Next, toss in your shrimp, and fry for about 30 seconds - your shrimp should start to turn pink and feel more firm
• Add in a little less than ½ of your rice first. This is going to soak up all those delicious shrimp juices and oils and keep your rice nice and dry. Stir fry for about 10 more seconds - This is a little known trick to make good rice, so it remains nice and dry
• Scoot all your rice to one side of the pan, and then crack in the egg into the empty side
• Whirl the egg up, let it cook for a few seconds, and then start to mix it up with the rice and shrimp
• Keep stir frying for about 20 seconds until the egg is fully cooked, and then add in the rest of your rice, and give it a quick stir
• Add ½ tablespoon of soy sauce, ½ tablespoon of oyster sauce, just a pinch of sugar (optional), and continue stir frying your rice, making sure all the sauce get mixed in
• Then add your chopped Chinese broccoli and onions, and stir fry for another 30 seconds until the vegetables wilt, but they can still be crisp and not fully cooked
• Lastly, toss in your green onions, stir it a few more seconds, and it's ready
• Immediately dish your fried rice onto a plate
• Slice off a wedge of lime, and serve it on the plate next to the rice
• For the final touch, I like to sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper on top to give some extra flavor
• Add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce to a small bowl
• Slice about 5 Thai chilies (you can add more or less, up to you), and add them to the fish sauce
• Finally, I like it with a little squeeze of about ½ of a lime - but this is optional - and at many Thai restaurants it's only fish sauce and chilies
• That's is, give it a stir, and set it aside

THAI COCONUT RICE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, except the crystallized ginger and sliced almonds.
• Stir well to combine.
• Cook over medium high heat, stirring until mixture comes to a low boil.
• Immediately reduce heat to low.
• Cover and cook for about 18 minutes.
• Fluff with a fork.
• The cover, and let sit for 5 more minutes.
• Garnish the finished rice with the candied ginger and the sliced almonds.

THAI FRIED RICE

Steps:

• Heat a large heavy wok over high heat. When it is hot, add oil and heat until very hot. Add garlic and stir-fry until just golden, about 20 seconds. Add pork, if using, and cook, stirring constantly, until all the pork has changed color completely, about 1 minute.
• Add rice, breaking it up with wet fingers as you toss it into wok. With your spatula, keep moving rice around wok. At first it may stick, but keep scooping and tossing it and soon it will be more manageable. Fry rice, sometimes pressing against wok with back of spatula. (Good fried rice should have a faint seared-in-the-wok taste.) Cook for about 30 seconds. Add greens, then fish sauce, and stir-fry for 30 to 60 seconds.
• Turn out onto a plate and garnish with coriander, cucumber slices, scallion, and lime wedges. Squeeze lime onto rice as you eat it, along with chile sauce -- the salty, hot taste of the sauce brings out the full flavor of the rice.

THAI-STYLE FRAGRANT RICE

Steps:

• Rinse the rice under cold water. Combine the rice, water, coconut milk, ginger, soy sauce, lemongrass, and curry leaves in a saucepan and stir. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until rice is tender, about 10 minutes. Fold the basil into the rice. Serve immediately.

EASY THAI FRIED RICE NOODLES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Mix together cornstarch with soy sauce until well combined.
• Marinate the chicken in the cornstarch-soy sauce mixture, coating all over. Set aside.
• Gently boil rice noodles for 2 to 5 minutes (depending on the thickness and brand of the noodles), or until noodles are soft enough to eat but still firm and a little bit crunchy (they will finish cooking later).
• Drain and briefly rinse with cold water to keep from sticking. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine chicken stock, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, dark soy sauce, sugar, and chili sauce or cayenne. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Set aside.
• Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and swirl around; then add the garlic, galangal or ginger, chicken (together with the marinade), mushrooms, and a few tablespoons of stock. Stir-fry 5 minutes. When pan becomes dry, add a little more chicken stock, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time.
• Add the bell pepper and stir-fry another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the reserved noodles plus stir-fry sauce. Using two utensils, lift and turn the noodles or use a tossing motion, like tossing a salad. Keep the heat turned up. Stir-fry in this way until the sauce is well distributed throughout the noodles, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add bean sprouts, continuing to stir-fry another minute.
• Remove from heat and taste-test for salt and flavor, adding 1 tablespoon more fish sauce or soy sauce if not salty or flavorful enough. If too salty, add another squeeze of lime juice.
• To serve, lift noodles out of the wok or frying pan and mound in a bowl or serving platter. Sprinkle with the sliced green onions and chopped cilantro. A wedge of fresh lime squeezed over just before eating also is delicious.