Spicy Thai Basil Chicken Fried Rice
Thai basil fried rice is a tasty and easy fried rice recipe which is very different from the Chinese Fried rice. Chinese fried rice gets its flavor from Soy sauce while Thai fried rice flavors are enhanced by fish sauce and oyster sauce. Also the addition of Thai basil adds a distinct flavor to it.
Equipment
- Wok / Pan / Kadhai
- Spatula
- Mortar & pestle / Grinder
- Small bowl
- Spoon
Ingredients
For Fried Rice
- 3 Cups Thinly sliced chicken
- 5 Bird's eye chili / Thai red chili
- 4 cloves Garlic
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- 4 cups Cooked jasmine rice Cooked and refrigerated for at least an hour
- ¼ cup Oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce light
- 1 tablespoon Fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sugar preferably White
- 2 tablespoon Oil Vegetable or Sesame
- 1 Small yellow onion sliced
- 1 cup Thai Basil / Holy basil
- 3 Eggs optional
For Chicken Marinade
- 2 teaspoon Fish Sauce
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper optional use white pepper
Instructions
Marinate
- Marinate the thinly sliced chicken with fish sauce and black pepper and let it rest for about an hour.
Cook Rice for fried rice
- Follow the instructions provided earlier in the post and cook the rice for fried rice. A day old rice works like magic. Remember do not be tempted to add more water to rice while cooking. You can always use a leftover rice.
- Ingredients
Making fried egg
- Take a wok with some oil for frying and heat it up. Add one egg to the hot oil and fry it gently adding some hot oil on top continuously.
- Once slightly golden browned from sides and perfectly cooked drain it on a paper towel.
Making Fried Rice
- Take mortar and pestle and pound the garlic, chilis and sea salt in coarse paste. If you are using grinder just pulse it few times.
- Take a small bowl and combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar to make the stir-fry sauce. Stir it well and set it aside for later. Doing this in beginning gives sugar the time to dissolve completely.
- Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan over high heat.
- In the hot oil add the onions and cook them for about 30 seconds.
- Then add the garlic and chili paste and stir it for another 30 seconds.
- Now add the marinated chicken and stir and cook it for 3 - 4 mins till the chicken cooks and the water left by the chicken reduces.
- Add the rice followed by the stir-fry sauce.
- Stir-fry it till well combined and evenly colored. Add Thai basil to it, toss it in and remove from the heat.
- Serve the rice with fried egg on top.
Notes
- Holy Basil or Thai basil has a nice spicy and slightly minty flavor. However if you cant find Thai basil you can use Italian basil.
- Do not add excess salt as fish sauce is salty.
- A day old refrigerated rice is the best for this recipe.
- You can replace the chicken with any other protein. For vegetarian option you can replace it with tofu.
- Ideally fresh red chilis are best for this recipe, however if not available then you can use Thai dried red chilis. Soak them in hot water for couple of hours then drain and use them. I used them once during lockdown since I didn't have access to fresh ones.
- Use less chilis for a milder dish.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!