Old rice is preferable when cooking Thai-style fried rice. This is because the rice loses some of its moisture when left in the fridge, so it absorbs flavors fully when cooked in a new sauce. Fortunately it does not turn into “wet” fried rice. Dry rice is also less likely to stick to the bottom of the pan. The rice grains are looser, so they don’t form sticky clumps like fresh-cooked rice does.

Therefore, any household in Thailand would make fried rice if they found leftover rice in the fridge. In fact, at my house in Thailand, we never cook rice just to make fried rice. At Wesleyan, I follow the same practice.

In this recipe, I suggest using three main ingredients: jasmine rice, shrimp, and zucchini.  Feel free to substitute your favorite type of meat or vegetable; I recommend carrots, spinach, asparagus, or snow peas. You can also use brown rice or basmati rice.

Time: 25 minutes

Serves 2

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the fish sauce, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, and paprika into a small bowl.

2. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat, then lightly cook the garlic and the chili for about five seconds until they are fragrant. Do not brown them because it will bring out more of the burnt garlic flavor, and that would diminish fragrance of the basil.

3. Add shrimp, zucchini, and the mixed sauce from step one. Cook them together for a short time, and then add the cooked rice. Timing is really important in stir-fry dishes. Try not to fully cook the shrimp and the zucchini at this step because they will be cooked more when the rice is added.

4. Add the rice and stir continuously. Make sure there are no clumps. Add the basil leaves and stir until everything is cooked and the rice is heated thoroughly. Serve with freshly cut wedges of lime.

Ingredients

8 large frozen shrimp, defrosted, washed, and deveined

2 cups cooked jasmine rice

1 tablespoon canola oil or vegetable oil

about 15 basil leaves, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped suitable chili peppers; for stir-fry such as jalapeño, adjust the portion accordingly

1 small zucchini, diced

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon light or dark soy sauce

1 teaspoon paprika

i teaspoon cayenne pepper

wedges of lime (optional)