An authentic recipe for Thai fried rice – just like you get in Thailand and at Thai restaurants!
Make this with shrimp/prawns, chicken or any protein you wish. If you’re feeling inspired, indulge in a Thai banquet at home with Chicken Satay Skewers, Thai Fish Cakes, and a Thai Red Curry or Green Curry!
Thai Fried Rice
I’m pretty sure every Asian country has their version of Fried Rice, and this is how the Thais make it!
This is a regular when I go out for Thai. While the “normal” thing to do is to have Thai Red Curry or Green Curry with plain steamed jasmine rice, I just can’t resist ordering fried rice instead.
Actually, come to think of it, it’s not just restricted to Thai food… Chinese Fried Rice, Nasi Goreng Indonesian Fried Rice, Indian Biryani, Mexican Red Rice, Middle Eastern spiced pilaf…… I’m a big fan of flavoured rice dishes!
What’s the difference between Thai Fried Rice and Chinese Fried Rice?
Traditionally, Thai Fried Rice is not made with soy sauce. Purists will tell you that if you use soy sauce, it becomes Chinese Fried Rice.
Though this may be the case in the past, the reality is that soy sauce is sometimes used in Thai Fried Rice – both in Thailand and in restaurants outside of Thailand. Also, a few cookbooks I have by by Thai restaurateurs use soy sauce.
So I’ve provided a choice of three sauces to choose from. Which is handy – you can choose depending on what you have or can source.
The other difference is the rice – Thai Fried Rice is made with jasmine rice whereas Chinese fried rice is made with white long grain rice.
What you need
Here’s what goes in Thai Fried Rice.
Why cold cooked rice?
A must for any fried rice, from Chinese to Indonesian! Cold, day old cooked rice dries out so the grains are separate and easy to “stir fry” to make fried rice. Freshly cooked rice becomes gluey when stir fried.
For a truly authentic Thai Fried Rice, use Jasmine Rice.
How to make it
It’s a very straightforward recipe, all cooked up in a single wok or large skillet in a matter of 5 minutes or less.
A unique technique used in Thai cooking is the way the egg is cooked – the other ingredients are pushed to the side, then the egg is scrambled on the other side before tossing through the remaining ingredients.
This same technique is also used in Pad See Ew, a popular Thai Noodle dish.
How and what to serve with Thai Fried Rice
For a truly authentic experience, serve Thai Fried Rice simply with plain wedges of tomato and slices of cucumber. This is just how Thai Fried Rice is served in Thailand!
My favourite way to serve it at home is with Chicken Satay and Thai Fish Cakes. These are dishes usually served as starters at Thai restaurants, but by adding Thai Fried Rice, I make it into a meal.
Otherwise, serve it as part of a multi-dish banquet with a selection of your favourite Thai dishes, such as:
Grilled Marinated Thai Chicken (Gai Yang) or Southern Thai Tumeric Chicken (Grilled or Baked)
Pad Thai and Pad See Ew
For more ideas, have a browse of the Thai recipe collection!
– Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Thai Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola or peanut oil)
- 2 large garlic cloves , very finely chopped
- 1/2 onion , diced
- 5 oz / 150 g small prawns/shrimp (cooked or raw) , or chicken breast thinly sliced (Note 1)
- 3 green onion (shallots) , cut into 1.5 “/4 cm pieces
- 2 eggs , lightly beaten
- 3 cups cooked jasmine rice , cold (preferably refrigerated overnight) (Note 2)
- ONE Sauce Option (see below for options)
Sauce Option 1
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
Sauce Option 2
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sugar (any type)
Sauce Option 3
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp Thai Seasoning (Gold Mountain) (Note 4)
To Serve (optional)
- Tomato wedges
- Cucumber slices
- Fresh coriander
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large wok or a large skillet over medium high heat. (Add 1 tbsp extra oil if using a skillet)
- Add garlic and onion, stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Add prawns/shrimp and white part of green onion, stir fry for 1 minute.
- Push everything to the side and pour the egg onto the other side. Scramble it quickly – about 20 seconds.
- Add the rice and Sauce of choice. Stir fry for 2 minutes, adding green part of green onions halfway through, until all the rice is coated with the Sauce.
- Serve immediately, garnished with fresh cilantro/coriander with tomato and cucumbers on the side. (See in post for more serving ideas)
Recipe Notes:
- Soy Sauce + Oyster Sauce is more akin to Thai home cooking
- Fish sauce + Oyster Sauce is the version that purists say is “real” Thai fried rice without soy sauce
- Sauce with Thai Seasoning Sauce is commonly used by Thai restaurants in Australia.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published September 2015. Updated with much needed new photos, brand new video, new writing, new process photos!
Life of Dozer
He was a damn cute puppy!
This rice sounds great! I love making fried rice with leftover rice. I’ll have to try this 🙂
I don’t think I’ve ever had a ‘fly and flop’ holiday – it is always Disneyland this / Kyoto that. Not complaining but good lord I need a break where I veg out and eat and chill. Can’t see it happening soon… In other news this fried rice looks totally action packed. What a great meal.
Oh no! You MUST have one!! 🙂 Very soon!!
What a great shot of you! I wish I was relaxing cocktail in hand right now.. and such a delicious recipe as well Nagi – nothing beats a classic Asian fried rice dish.
Ha! Thanks Thalia!! 🙂
oh yeah keep showing me Thailand photos, massage parlors and cocktails on the beach while I sit in my NYC office freezing, that’s all really cool! kidding here 🙂 but in all seriousness I love Thai food and fried rice is a staple in or house, its such a quick and easy dish, and also he leftovers are great!
Love your photo of yourself by the beach…we all need to self medicate with delicious beverages by the beach more often. Doctors orders!!! Thailand has the best street food ever! Have you ever been to Hua Hin, a must visit place for a foodie and relaxation getaway. However, I love Ching Mai’s cuisine the best… you know it is always about the food and your delicious Thai Fried rice is something I could eat every day…
So so love Thailand Nagi. Really…really?Why on earth would you go on holidays to be anything but a lazy bum. That’s what holidays are for!. Love this rice well I love any rice as my waistband will attest.
Now I want lots of Thai food!!! Thank goodness for this recipe it sounds fabulous! 🙂
I ALWAYS want lots of Thai food! 😉
how do you cook the jasmine rice?
Hi Laraaaa! The packet should tell you, typically it is 1 cup of rice to 1 1/2 cups of water, lid on in a saucepan over medium heat for around 12 minutes, or until water is soaked in. Then rest for 10 minutes, then cool to use it in this recipe!
Everyone I talk to who has traveled to Thailand (and these are well traveled people) they all say the same thing. It’s the BEST! The food, the people, I’ve never heard a bad thing about it! Which is why it’s on my bucket list of places to see. So with that in mind, I’ve better try this real-deal Thai fried rice to get myself well acquainted if I’m going to travel there! Btw, love the pic of your lounging on the beach with a cocktail in hand… my kinda girl 🙂
OMG I can’t believe you haven’t been to Thailand! OK, you need to try the second honeymoon card. Surely Mr HNN can’t say NO to that!!
I’ve never been to Thailand, but I love Thai food! Love this rice, pinning to try it! Love the post and the photo of you!
Mira, you will LOVE Thailand! You must go!!
I’ve never been to Thailand but David Thompson’s Thai Food is my go-to bible. This rice looks so good. I often eat the rice and leave the meat just so I can get more rice in.
ME TOO!! Well, it was. Right now, Spice I Am is my bible!
Hi Nagi!
Could you make this with brown rice instead?
Hi Elisa! You sure can. 🙂
Out of all the places Hubby and I went to, Thailand was probably our favourite. Street food is amazing, the people nice and helpful and it is a happy place. Your Thai Fried Rice with chicken looks gorgeous. Mouth watering!
I know, the street food is amazing amazing!! Doesn’t this remind you of how they serve it at those tiny restaurants??
Don’t you just love Phuket? We’ll be going back in early spring for our third visit (via cruise ship). I also spent some time in Bangkok and loved it. The Thais are amazing people and amazing cooks. So of course I will want to try this recipe. I’m grateful that we took a Thai cooking class the last time we were in Phuket, because my husband is now better with Thai food than he was when we got married (I can still see the look on his face when I fed him Green Chicken Curry, the first thing I ever cooked for him; the look of distaste was pretty spectacular). I am sorry to hear that the King banished the beach shack restaurants; it’s surprising to me because he is so well loved by the people.
No way! Via Cruise ship? I didn’t know! I love Bangkok too, the hustle and bustle. Where I struggle is the poverty on the streets. Breaks my heart. I plan to take a cooking class every time I go but never do!!! You’ve inspired me to put it at the top of my list for the next time I visit. 🙂
Yes, the poverty in Bangkok is heartbreaking, just as it is in cities like Chennai & Mumbai in India. But the people in both places are wonderful.
I’m sure you would do better in the Thai cooking class that I did – I was pretty much overwhelmed, even though I had been cooking for 50 years or so at the time. Even my husband who doesn’t cook much was less overwhelmed than I was, or at least it seemed that way. You can get information about where we went from http://www.phuketthaicookery.com. I would definitely recommend them. And hope you enjoy the class when you take it.
Thank you for the recommendation Susan! I will file that away! 🙂
Fly and Flop? That is the perfect description for my favorite vacays! I am so ready for one! I love oyster sauce in fried rice and though I could go for a bowl right now, I’d much rather have massage. Now you’ve got me thinking that I should get in the car and go to my local Chinese joint!
Yes you SHOULD! Asian massages are the best! 🙂
Oh no! So sad that the King of Thailand banished those beach shack restaurants just because they didn’t look good! Guess he should have eaten at one of them first! I am usually “go, go, go” too – but one place I went to that I totally became a “lazy bum” at was San Diego. A friend told me of these little hole-in-the-wall restaurants that had the best food and boy-o-boy, Nagi, was the food so darn good! Not sure if I’ll make it to Thailand – but I can console myself with this scrumptious chicken fried rice!
Oooh really? I LOVE HOLE IN THE WALL RESTAURANTS!! I always swear that’s where the best food is – forget posh restaurants!! I never thought of San Diego as a flopping place, I must visit!
Thanks Nagi, I’m taking this (with a couple other recipes from you) and traveling north a couple of hours to visit with the BFF, and make her family dinner on Friday! Will just make the rice at home the night before, cool it and ZipLock it! Yay!!!
Ooh yay! This reheats fabulously, I just had it last night for dinner! N x Have fun at the dinner!
Hahah I love this post Nagi!!! Do more like this! I love hearing about the awesome places you have been to! And I totally love that pic of you!!!!! I am JUST as lazy! In my recent trip to Miami…we had a condo so the most strenuous things I did was create omelettes for the hubs and one large seafood dinner for our friends!!! But the beach.. that’s where I open up my Kindle and read until the sun goes down…with many breaks for ocean time and cigarettes. Ahhh this is the life! I never knew the real difference in Thai fried rice and classic fried rice…and Nagi meat-free…am I rubbing off on you 🙂
Meat free? Bah! No!!! There’s chicken in mine! 😉 How good are holidays when you can READ? I can’t remember the last time I read a novel! Nowadays I find myself reading cookbooks in bed!! N x
Thanks for sharing! Always enjoy your post and sharing them with friends and family!
Thanks Margaret! I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes! N x
Thanks Nagi – printed it out, but probably won’t make it until Friday! Now I don’t have to think about dinner for the rest of the week. Shopped for Monday thru Wed. Thursday will probably be leftovers. – Voila – now Friday is taken care of! Yeah.
Oooh! This is SUCH great Friday night food cause it’s fast and you can eat it out of a bowl in front of the TV!! 😉
This Chicken thai fried rice looks delicious.. I make thai fried rice at home quite frequently but this version sounds way better. . Gonna try this soon!! Lovely share, Nagi!! 🙂
Thanks Arpita! It’s pretty simple but so yum! And authentic too 🙂 N x