Thai Basil Fried Rice - CJ Eats Recipes (2024)

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By Chris Joe

5 from 12 votes

Mar 15, 2023

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You won’t need to order this favorite Thai dish once you learn how to make this Thai basil fried rice at home! I can’t express how much I love this dish, and whenever I cook it my kitchen smells INCREDIBLE! I paired mine with shrimp, but you can swap this out for any protein, or even make it vegetarian!

I love the flavors from the subtle heat of the Thai chili peppers and the fragrance from the Thai basil. Finish it off with a squeeze of lime and you can have an authentic Thai dish at home! It’s truly a spectacular way to eat fried rice that will surely be a crowd pleaser!

Watch the Thai Basil Fried Rice Recipe Video Below!

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Ingredients You’ll Need For Thai Basil Fried Rice

The ingredients for Thai basil fried rice are quite simple. You may need to take a visit to your local asian market to pick up some of the harder to find ingredients, but I’ll also provide substitutes for them down below!

  • Protein of choice (I used shrimp, marinade to follow)
  • Basmati or Jasmine Rice
  • Eggs
  • Garlic
  • Thai Chili Pepper
  • Oyster Sauce
  • Light Soy Sauce
  • Fish Sauce
  • Palm Sugar
  • White Pepper
  • Onion
  • Shallot
  • MSG (optional)
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My Top Ingredient Tips for Thai Basil Fried Rice

INGREDIENTS TIPS

THAI BASIL
I purchase this from my local 99 Ranch (a Chinese grocery chain) – if you cannot find Thai basil, you can sub with regular basil.

MSG
As always, this is optional 🙂

NEUTRAL OIL
My favorite neutral oil is avocado oil, but you can also use canola or vegetable oil! I don’t use olive oil when cooking Chinese food for two reasons: 1. It has a low burning point and 2. I find that the flavor profile does not usually go with the dish.

PALM SUGAR
Palm sugar is commonly used in Thai cooking – it’s made from the sap of coconut palm trees and has a caramel-y color & flavor to it that is most similar to brown sugar. It’s sold in circular blocks; I buy mine from 99 Ranch (a Chinese grocery chain). If you cannot find palm sugar, the best substitute is brown sugar or even white granulated sugar.

THAI CHILI PEPPERS
Thai cooking is known to have a bit of a kick to it, and oftentimes the spice is from using Thai chili peppers! I love using them, as a little goes a long way – however, if you are sensitive to spice, I would recommend starting with half the amount and adjusting accordingly.

Thai Basil Fried Rice: Recipe Instructions

Make Your Thai Chili Pepper & Garlic Paste

The first step in this process is to make your chili & garlic paste. This is one of the elements of the dish that makes it so fragrant! I use a mortar & pestle here, but if you don’t have one you can use a wide knife to chop and smash your paste together. Just be careful to not touch your face after handling the chili peppers! Gloves are also helpful here 🙂

Thai Basil Fried Rice - CJ Eats Recipes (4)

Smash your garlic cloves and thai chili peppers until a paste forms. I’m using 5 cloves of garlic and 3 thai chili peppers, but you can adjust according to your spice tolerance. This was about a 6 out of 10 on the heat scale for me!

Thai Basil Fried Rice - CJ Eats Recipes (5)

My Key Recipe Tips for Thai Basil Fried Rice

RECIPE TIPS

RICE
Do not use freshly steamed rice! The rice should be at least one day old to avoid having too much moisture; too much moisture in the rice will make your fried rice soggy and mushy.

CRUMBLE YOUR OLD RICE
I like to crumble my rice (I’ve found that dried out rice gets clumpy) – this helps each rice grain get cooked and coated in all of the delicious flavors!

SUCCESS IS IN THE PREP!
For a recipe that comes together extremely quickly, the key to pulling this recipe off successfully is having your ingredients prepped and in bowls right next to your wok or pan! Have your premixed sauce, paste, vegetables, rice, and other ingredients ready and easily accessible during the cooking process.

Bring The Dish Together in the Wok

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I LOVE cooking in my wok. It brings an extra element of smokiness and flavor to the dishes I make (wok hei). Follow the recipe video for the full process and by the end, you’ll have a beautiful pan full of Thai Basil Fried Rice!

Thai Basil Fried Rice - CJ Eats Recipes (6)

If you liked this Thai Basil Fried Rice recipe, check out some of the most popular fried rice recipes on the blog!

  • Shrimp Fried Rice
  • Din Tai Fung Fried Rice
  • Chicken Fried Rice
  • Egg Fried Rice

5 from 12 votes

Thai Basil Fried Rice

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

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Thai Basil Fried Rice - CJ Eats Recipes (7)

This Thai Basil Fried rice is extremely fragrant, delicious, and so much better than takeout! It's super versitile and can be paired with any protein of your choice.

Ingredients

Shrimp (or Protein of Choice)

Garlic & Chili Paste

  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 thai chili peppers, adjust to your spice preference

Sauce

Other Ingredients

  • 2 cups Basmati or Jasmine rice, uncooked measurement
  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 1 shallot, sliced
  • 2 cups thai basil, can sub regular basil
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3 tbsp neutral oil, I used avocado oil

Optional Garnish

  • Thai Basil
  • Lime

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • In a bowl, add peeled and deveined shrimp and marinate with soy sauce, salt, white pepper, neutral oil, baking soda and cornstarch for 15 minutes.

  • In a mortar and pestle, combine garlic and thai chili peppers into a paste and set aside.

  • In a small bowl, mix together oyster sauce, light soy sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar, white pepper, and msg.

  • In 3 tbsp of neutral oil over high heat, saute shrimp for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Remove and set aside.

  • In the same pan, fry the garlic/chili paste for 15 seconds until fragrant, then immediately add shallots and onion. Stir fry for 1 minute.

  • Push the ingredients to the side, then add eggs and scramble (add 1 tbsp more oil if needed to cook the eggs). Mix together.

  • Add the day old rice and mix together over high heat, stir frying until the rice is toasted and relatively dry. Add the premixed sauce and combine.

  • Add shrimp and basil and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes over high heat. Garnish with limes and more basil and enjoy!

Additional Info

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Thai

Tried this recipe?Mention @cj.eats_ or tag #cjeatsrecipes!

Thai Basil Fried Rice - CJ Eats Recipes (8)

About CJ

I’m a third generation Chinese-American home cook who has always loved cooking & eating! Welcome to my food blog, where you can find trusted, tested, easy & approachable recipes for the everyday home cook that taste delicious! I am so glad you're here!

Read more about me

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Thai Basil Fried Rice - CJ Eats Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What makes Thai fried rice taste different? ›

Peas, carrots, and other vegetables are notably absent from most traditional Thai fried rice recipes. The dish is seasoned with fish sauce or thin soy sauce as well as ground white pepper, and a squeeze of lime, resulting in a flavor profile that's primarily salty, with pops of lime, cilantro, and white pepper.

What are some secrets for perfect fried rice? ›

The key to delicious fried rice lies in using cold, cooked rice (preferably from the previous day) to prevent it from becoming mushy. Additionally, make sure to stir-fry the ingredients quickly over high heat, use soy sauce for flavor, and add a variety of vegetables and proteins for a well-balanced dish.

What is the difference between special fried rice and Thai fried rice? ›

Thai fried rice is made with Thai jasmine rice, while Chinese fried rice is made with regular long grain white rice, or a blend of white rice. The other difference is that Thai fried rice is often seasoned with fish sauce, oyster sauce, and/or soy sauce. Chinese fried rice are not seasoned with fish sauce.

What gives Chinese fried rice its taste? ›

To give your dish that signature fried rice taste, you'll need to drizzle in sesame oil and soy sauce, but feel free to use as much or as little as you wish. You can even mix in things like garlic powder, ginger root, or Sriracha sauce and chili pepper for a bit of a kick.

What's the difference between Chinese fried rice and Thai fried rice? ›

The two major differences are that Thai fried rice uses Jasmine rice, which is scented, where Chinese fried rice uses a plain, unscented rice. And second, Thai fried rice has nam pla -- fish sauce -- in addition to soy sauce -- where Chinese fried rice typically uses soy sauce alone.

How do you make fried rice taste like restaurant? ›

To get restaurant-quality fried rice at home, it's essential to use aromatics, a group of vegetables and herbs that are so named because they lend your dish a distinct aroma. Common aromatics that are used to flavor fried rice are onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and red peppers.

What oil is best for cooking fried rice? ›

It is key to the authentic flavor of this dish. Peanut oil. this is another ingredient that adds authentic flavor to this recipe, but if you have a peanut allergy in your household you can substitute canola oil or additional sesame oil for the peanut oil.

Which spice is good for fried rice? ›

The Perfect Nigerian Fried Rice
  • 2 bay leaves.
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)
  • 2 Tasty Cubes.
  • 1 teaspoon salt.
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper (substitute other ground pepper)
  • 2 teaspoon curry powder (divided)
  • 1 teaspoon thyme.

Why does Thai fried rice taste sweet? ›

Palm sugar balances the salty and savory flavors of the dish, but does make our Thai fried rice recipe distinctly sweeter than our Chinese fried rice dishes. Light or dark brown sugar is a good substitute for palm sugar if you can't find it; it's what we used in this recipe!

What makes fried rice taste better? ›

While not every recipe calls for this fried rice trifecta, many of our favorites do. Why? Soy sauce is the salt element, rice vinegar gives the dish a touch of brightness, and sesame oil lends an utterly delicious, toasty note.

What does Thai fried rice contain? ›

This dish differs from Chinese fried rice in that it is prepared with Thai jasmine rice instead of regular long-grain rice. It normally contains meat (chicken, shrimp, and crab are all common), egg, onions, garlic and sometimes tomatoes.

What is fried rice syndrome? ›

Fried rice syndrome is food poisoning caused by a bacterium known as Bacillus cereus (B. cereus). This microscopic germ likes to live on starchy foods like rice and pasta, but it can set up shop on nearly any food. All this bacterium needs is the right combination of time and improper temperature.

Why is Chinese take out fried rice yellow? ›

Actually, the yellow colour of the fried rice came from the beaten eggs. The beaten eggs is the one that gives the yellow colour to the Fried Rice. This type of Fried Rice is called “Golden Egg Fried Rice.”

Why put egg in fried rice? ›

The flavor of rice mixed with eggs, vegetables, and a thin layer of soy sauce was something that brought comfort to my belly. It probably comes as no surprise that I cook fried rice very frequently. Not only do I find this dish comforting, but it is also darn easy to make.

What is Thai fried rice made of? ›

- **Ingredients:** Thai fried rice often includes jasmine rice, shrimp, chicken, or tofu, eggs, onions, garlic, and a combination of vegetables like bell peppers, peas, and carrots. It is seasoned with soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sometimes chili sauce or fresh chilies for a spicy kick.

What makes Thai food different from Chinese food? ›

Thai cuisine makes use of more herbs and spices than Chinese cuisine. Thai food is lightly cooked but is very flavorful because of the use of herbs. Soy sauce and soy paste are used commonly in Chinese food while fish sauce is used in Thai food. Thai food has many curries, and they eat soups in large bowls.

What makes Thai food taste like Thai food? ›

One notable aspect of Thai cuisine is its emphasis on fresh and aromatic ingredients. Thai cooks utilize a variety of herbs and spices, such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and Thai basil, to infuse their dishes with distinctive flavors.

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