Thai Fried Rice

This spicy Thai fried rice (Khao Pad) is super easy to make and comes together in under 30 minutes. Try this authentic recipe and serve it as a side dish or main course.

You can also try some of my other favorite Thai recipes – Asian Pad Thai Noodles, Thai Red Chicken Curry, Thai Pineapple Fried Rice, Thai Basil Chicken, and Thai Watermelon Salad. 

Jump to:

• About This Recipe
• Ingredients
• How To Make Thai Fried Rice
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Pro Tips By Neha
• Variations
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Suggestions
• You Might Also Like
• Recipe Card

About This Recipe

Thai Fried Rice popularly called ‘Khao Pad’ in the local language is a stir-fried rice recipe with lots of Thai basil, bird’s eye chilies, veggies, and sauces. It is a great one-pot dish to serve for lunch or dinner. This Thai rice dish has a beautiful balance of sweet, salty, acidic, and spicy flavors that are important in Thai cuisine.

Thai basil fried rice comes together in under 30 minutes from start to finish and you can choose to make it vegetarian with lots of veggies or add meat of your choice like shrimp, chicken, pork, beef, etc to make a non-vegetarian version.

The tantalizing aroma of Khao Pad lingers in the streets of Thailand as this traditional dish is very common amongst street hawkers and restaurants. Not only in Thailand, nowadays you will find this easy and delicious Thai version of fried rice on the menu of almost every Thai restaurant all over the world.

Ingredients

Rice – In Thailand, Jasmine rice is the ideal choice as it has a unique sweet flavor and is the most preferred rice amongst Asians. However, feel free to use any short grain rice to make this recipe.

You can replace rice with quinoa, couscous, or cauliflower rice to give this dish a healthy twist.

Basil – Try to get Thai basil for that authentic taste. If it’s not available easily, use the regular basil instead.

Sauces – You will need fish sauce, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. To make this dish vegetarian, skip adding fish sauce and use vegetarian oyster sauce in place of regular oyster sauce.

Thai bird’s eye chilies – Thai bird’s eye chilies give this dish a spicy kick. You can use any hot red chili if these chilies are not available.

Shrimp – Use fresh or frozen shrimp. Make sure to clean and devein them if they are already not.

Other Ingredients – Apart from these ingredients, you will need garlic, green onions, brown sugar, onions, salt, and pepper.

How To Make Thai Fried Rice

Preparation

Start by gathering all the ingredients. Making this fried rice hardly takes any time, but you need to be quick while stir-frying it. To make the process quick and smooth, make sure all the ingredients required are prepared and kept next to the cooking counter.

Make sure the rice is already cooked and cooled well. It is important to use cooled rice to keep the grains separate. If the rice is freshly cooked, the fried rice will turn out mushy. Check out my instant pot Jasmine rice recipe to cook perfect rice.

Prepare the shrimp. If using frozen shrimp, thaw them to room temperature. Wash them and pat them dry using a kitchen towel. If using fresh shrimp, remove the head and tail. Remove the vein using a sharp paring knife. Wash the shrimp well and pat dry.

If making a vegetarian version, chop the veggies and keep them ready.

Make The Sauce

Mix the ingredients for the sauce that are 3 teaspoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoon oyster sauce, 2 teaspoon fish sauce, and ½ teaspoon brown sugar in a small mixing bowl and keep aside.

Note – For the vegetarian version, skip adding fish sauce and oyster sauce. You can replace soy sauce with tamari for a gluten-free version.

Pound The Chilies and Garlic

Add 2-3 bird’s eye chilies, 3-4 peeled cloves of garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt to a mortar and pestle and pound to make a coarse paste.

Stir Fry the Rice

Heat 3 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or a large pan on high heat.

Once the oil is very hot, add the crushed garlic and red chilies and saute for 8-10 seconds.

Add ½ cup thinly sliced onion and fry for 4-5 seconds.

Add 10-12 shrimp and cook until they turn pink in color, 2-3 minutes.

Now add the sauce mixture and 3 cups of cooked and cooled rice and mix everything well.

Add salt and pepper to taste, ¼ cup chopped green onion, and 1 cup packed Thai basil (roughly torn), and mix well.

Serve hot with sliced tomato, cucumber, and lime wedges.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pro Tips By Neha

Use day-old rice. If you are cooking it fresh, then make sure you cool down the rice fully and then use it to make the dish.

You can also add vegetables along with shrimp to make it filling and wholesome.

Prep all the ingredients beforehand and then start this dish. As it is cooked on high heat, you will need ingredients one by one and there will be no time left to prep.

Variations

With Pineapple – Add ½ cup of cubed pineapple pieces in the rice while stir-frying. Check out my Thai Pineapple Fried Rice recipe here.

With Mango – Cut a ripe mango into small cubes and add it to the rice. Use firm mango for this recipe.

Cauliflower Rice – Use cauliflower rice in place of regular rice for a low carb Keto version of this dish.

With Sausages – Add chopped sausages in the rice.

With Chicken – Cut boneless chicken breast into thin slices against the grains. It’s easy to slice the chicken if you freeze it for a few hours. Then saute chicken slices until almost cooked before adding the remaining ingredients.

With Eggs – You can add scrambled eggs to this rice.

Serving Suggestions

This Thai-style fried rice is full of flavor on its own and thus can be served as a weekday dinner. You can serve it along with some Thai curries such as Thai Red Chicken Curry, Thai Basil Chicken, or Thai Green Curry. 

Some salad on the side like Thai Watermelon Salad or soups such as Tom Kha Soup and Thai Pumpkin Noodle Soup also works great.

Sometimes I even like to serve a simple Thai flavored grilled chicken or fish on the side. 

Storage Suggestions

This rice recipe stays good in the refrigerator for about 2 days. Store it in an airtight container. Heat it in the pan or in the microwave for a few minutes, before serving.

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