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Basil fried rice recipe

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Categories Main Course, rice / porridge, Thai

This basil fried rice recipe immediately caught my attention when I ordered it in a Thai restaurant because it is so different from most Chinese fried rice I have tried.

The use of three types of chilies and fresh basil is the key to preparing basil fried rice with fantastic flavor. I recreate it at home, which takes less than fifteen minutes with all the ingredients ready.

I will explain how I prepare Thai basil fried rice in this article.  You are likely to get all the ingredients easily except the Thai chili paste, which is unique.

If you like this basil fried rice recipe, run to the nearby Asian grocery store, where they are most likely to keep the Thai chili paste as their regular stock.

Let’s get started.

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Three types of chilies plus fresh basil to preparing the best basil fried rice. Chicken and shrimp are the most common ingredients.

How to prepare Thai basil fried rice

Here are the steps to prepare basil fried rice that can rival Thai restaurants.

1. Choice of protein

I use chicken breast meat in this basil fried rice recipe. Alternatively, you can use shrimp or tofu as the protein sauce.

  1. Cut the chicken breast meat into thin slices, about 1.5 inches in length.
  2. Marinate the chicken for half an hour with light soy sauce and salt.
  3. After marinating, stir-fry the chicken with some oil in the wok. I like to sear each side for a while until lightly golden. The flavor of the meat is better with this treatment. 

2. Seasonings and aromatics

  1. Crush a few cloves of garlic and give them a few chops.
  2. Cut off the stem of the bird’s eye chiles. Remove the seeds should you prefer them to be less hot, then cut them into short sections.
  3. Place the garlic and chilies in the mortar and grind them into a paste.
  4. Prepare the fried rice sauce by mixing the following ingredients: oyster sauce, light soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and water.

Note:

  • You may use red bell peppers as the substitute if you can’t take the heat of the Thai chilies.
  • You can adjust the spice level without compromising the flavor by removing the bird’s eye chili seeds before grinding them into a paste.
  • The seasoning required is the tested trio of stir-fry sauces for Thai cooking- light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce. I usually do not use dark soy sauce as the rice looks more appetizing with a bright color. The recipe also requires some palm sugar, which you can substitute with any sugar. I suggest measuring each ingredient and mixing them in a small bowl first if you are not confident about the amount used while cooking. Professional chefs will eyeball the amount of rice in the wok and pour the correct amount of sauces separately into the rice, backed by their vast experience.
  • You can use the vegetarian oyster sauce should you want to prepare a vegetarian basil fried rice. Fish sauce and oyster sauce are available at any Asian grocery store.
Three types of chilies plus fresh basil to preparing the best basil fried rice. Chicken and shrimp are the most common ingredients.

3. The leftover rice and basil 

  1. Leftover rice, especially day-old rice, is the best for preparing fried rice. If you do not have leftover rice, you can spread the fresh rice thinly on a large pan, then place it under a fan to blow it for twenty minutes before frying it. This step helps dry the surface and prevent it from sticking to the wok.
  2. Clean the fresh basil leaves thoroughly, then drain them in a colander before use. 

Note : 

  • Thai holy basil is the choice for this basil fried rice recipe. However, since it is not always available, especially if you are not in Thailand, you can use Italian basil or other variants to prepare the fried rice. I use the regular basil available at the market, close to Thai basil.

4. Fry an egg, Thai-style

  1. Add sufficient oil into the wok enough to cover an egg. Heat the oil to medium heat, crack an egg, and place it gently at the center of the oil. 
  2. Let it fry undisturbed until the edges bubble up and turn crispy. 
  3. Keep some remaining oil from frying the egg in the wok. 

Note: 

The Thai-style fried egg is quite different from the western fried egg, such as the sunny-side-up egg. The Thai version is done with plenty of oil over medium heat, creating a crispy crust at the edges. It’s the crispy bits that make it incredibly delicious.  You must cook it with an open mind if you used to cook the perfect French-style fried egg.

4. The Best way to stir-fry the rice

Here is my general method of frying rice while working in the restaurant. This method works best to prepare Chinese fried rice with loads of wok aroma and also works well for Thai rice. 

  1. Add some oil to a well-seasoned cast-iron wok, at low-medium heat. 
  2. Add the leftover rice, mix with the oil thoroughly, and use the wok spatula to break up all the lumps. Each rice grain is coated with oil, which reduces the chances of sticking to the wok when stir-frying over high heat later. 
  3. Gradually increase the heat from low-medium to medium-high. Continue stir-frying the rice until they jump and pop in the wok.
  4. Add the stir-fry sauce gradually and continue to stir-fry at medium-high until the rice absorbs all the seasonings. Keep the rice dry by slowly adding the wet seasonings to avoid the rice becoming soggy and sticky. Remove the rice from the wok.
  5. Heat some oil to saute the ground garlic and chili. Add some chili flakes and Thai chili paste to the wok when it turns aromatic.
  6. Return the cooked rice to the wok. Stir-fry over medium-high until the chili paste is incorporated with the rice thoroughly.
  7. Now add the chicken to the rice, and mix well.
  8. Finally, throw in a large handful of washed, fresh Thai basil leaves and stir-fry over high heat until the basil leaves start to wilt. 
  9. Remove and serve with the fried egg, sliced cucumber, lime, and tomatoes.

Note: 

  • The best kitchenware to prepare fried rice is a cast iron wok. Otherwise, you can use a large skillet should you not have a wok.
  • Stir-frying the rice at high heat before dishing it out is the key to generating the signature wok aroma of fried rice.
  • Since Thai chili paste is not very spicy, adding some bird’s eye chilies is required. The reason for adding chili flakes is because they have a different taste since they are made from dried chili peppers. Therefore, the chili combination has a wholesome flavor than just using one type of chili. It also means you need to love spicy food to enjoy Thai cuisine. 

Like Thai food? Here are some of the Thai recipes on this food blog for you:

Yield: 2

Basil Fried Rice Recipe

basil fried rice recipe 3

Thai basil fried rice is the dish I regularly order at my favorite Thai restaurant. However, you can make this at home in less than fifteen minutes with all the ingredients ready. The use of three types of chilies and fresh basil is the key to preparing basil fried rice with fantastic flavor.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

A (main ingredients)

B (stir-fry sauce)

C (garnish)

  • Lime wedges
  • Cucumber slices
  • Tomato slices

Instructions

Preparation

  1. Cut the chicken breast meat into thin slices, about 1.5 inches in length.
  2. Marinate the chicken for half an hour with light soy sauce and salt.
  3. Stir-fry the chicken with some oil in the wok until lightly golden. 
  4. Crush a few cloves of garlic and give them a few chops.
  5. Cut off the stem of the bird’s eye chiles. Remove the seeds.
  6. Grind the garlic and chili into a paste.
  7. Clean the fresh basil leaves thoroughly, then drain them in a colander before use. 
  8. Add sufficient oil into the wok enough to cover an egg. Heat the oil to medium heat, crack an egg, and place it gently at the center of the oil. Let it fry undisturbed until the edges bubble up and turn crispy.

Fry the rice

  1. Heat the oil in the wok, add the leftover rice and use the wok spatula to break up all the lumps. Gradually increase the heat from low-medium to medium-high. Continue stir-frying the rice until they jump and pop in the wok.
  2. Add the stir-fry sauce (B) gradually and continue to stir-fry at medium-high until the rice absorbs all the seasonings. Remove the rice from the wok.
  3. Heat some oil to saute the ground garlic and chili. Add some chili flakes and Thai chili paste to the wok when it turns aromatic.
  4. Return the cooked rice to the wok. Stir-fry over medium-high until the chili paste is incorporated with the rice thoroughly.
  5. Now add the chicken to the rice, and mix well.
  6. Finally, throw in a large handful of washed, fresh Thai basil leaves and stir-fry over high heat until the basil leaves start to wilt. 
  7. Remove and serve with the fried egg, sliced cucumber, lime, and tomatoes.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 787Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 294mgSodium: 2525mgCarbohydrates: 94gFiber: 7gSugar: 18gProtein: 58g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 12/6/2022

© KP Kwan
Cuisine: Thai / Category: rice / porridge

KP Kwan

Monday 13th of June 2022

Hi, this is KP Kwan. I am happy to see you in this comment area, as you have read through my recipe. I am glad to reply to any questions and comments as soon as possible.

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