Thai Fried Rice (Khao Pad) | Two Plaid Aprons (2024)

Thai fried rice, or khao pad, is a quick and easy fried rice recipe that you can make in 15 minutes! It's full of flavor and can be made with your choice of chicken, beef, pork, or shrimps. Perfect with any Chinese takeout dishes like Mongolian beef or these Vietnamese egg rolls!

"Khao pad" literally translates to "stir fried rice", or what we know as Thai fried rice. In Thai cuisine, it is as popular as egg fried rice from Chinese restaurants. However, unlike Chinese fried rice that is a bit more subtle in flavor, as its often just a side, Thai fried rice is much more fragrant, flavorful, and packed with umami, thanks to both the fish sauce and oyster sauce used.

Ingredient needed for Thai fried rice

Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!

• Jasmine rice - Thai fried rice is distinguished by its use of jasmine rice, which makes it super fragrant and aromatic. If you don't have jasmine rice, you can use regular long grain white rice.
• Protein of you choice - Feel free use chicken, pork, beef, or shrimp. If you prefer, you can even omit the meat and use more veggies.
• Gai lan - These are also known as Chinese broccoli. They are hardy green veggies that you can usually find at most Asian markets. Most Asian markets offer both the regular gai lan and the gai lan tips (thinner and more tender than regular).
• Egg, onion, and garlic - All three of these ingredients act like aromatics. It makes the rice extra fragrant and tasty.
• Tomato - Thai fried rice are often served with fresh tomatoes or tomatoes will be added to the rice for a brief stir fry. We usually use beefsteak (aka hothouse) tomatoes, but any tomatoes are fine.
• Chili pepper - This is optional for if you want some kick in your Thai fried rice. We recommend using bird's eye chilis, but they quite spicy. So use with caution!
• Fish sauce, oyster sauce, and soy sauce - These three sauces are the seasonings for Thai fried rice.
• Black pepper - This adds some peppery kick to the rice.
• Salt - For seasoning the protein.
• Oil - Any neutral cooking oil is fine.
• Cucumber, cilantro, lime - These three are optional ingredients served with Thai fried rice.

How to make Thai fried rice

Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!

Prepare the ingredients:

1. Break up the rice. Rub the rice in between your palms to separate the cold, day old rice. You can also do this in a resealable bag.

2. Wash and cut the gai lan. Trim the bottom of the stems and separate the leaves from the thick stem. Cut the leaves into 1 inch pieces and the stems diagonally, into ¼ inch slices.

🌟 Pro tip: Keep the steams and leaves separate. The steams take a little longer to cook, so it need to be added a little earlier.

3. Prepare the protein. For chicken, pork, and beef, cut the protein into ¼ inch slices. If using shrimps, peel and devein.

Make the Thai fried rice:

1. Scramble the eggs. In a well seasoned wok or large nonstick pan over medium heat, add a couple tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the eggs and scramble until just cooked. Remove and set aside.

2. Cook the protein. In the same wok/pan over medium heat, add about a tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the protein and season with a generous pinch of salt. Stir fry until just cooked. Remove and set aside

3. Stir fry garlic and chili. In the same wok/pan over medium heat, add about 3 to 4 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and chili, if some heat is desired. Cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Then, add the rice and stir fry briefly until the rice is evenly coated with oil.

🌟 Pro tip: Be generous with the oil! Using enough oil will make fried rice taste better. It will also help to prevent clumping, since jasmine rice is stickier than regular long grain rice.

4. Cook the gai lan. To the rice, add the steams of the gai lan and onion. Stir fry for about 1 to 2 minutes. Then, add the gai lan leaves and stir fry for another minute, or until the leaves are wilted.

5. Season. Add the scrambled egg and cooked protein back into the wok/pan. Stir fry briefly to combine. Season with fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and black pepper. Toss and stir fry until everything is hot and evenly coated with the seasonings.

6. Finish. Add the tomato and green onion. Stir fry briefly to combine.

7. Serve. Enjoy the Thai fried rice while hot and garnish with cilantros if desired, along with some cucumber slices and a couple wedges of lime.

Recipe tips

• Use cold, day old rice for fried rice. Long grain rice, refrigerated overnight, is the best kind of rice for making any fried rice. The rice grains separates easier, which prevents clumping, and the rice will less likely become mushy and overcooked.
• Break up the rice ahead of time. This will make the cooking process faster and easier.
• Be generous with the oil. It is necessary to use enough oil for fried rice to taste good.
• Feel free to use your favorite hardy greens if you can't find gai lan (Chinese broccoli). You can usually find these Chinese greens at most Asian markets, but if you can't find them, hardy greens like broccoli and kale are good substitutes.
• Add the tomato and green onion last for a very brief stir fry. The purpose isn't to cook the tomato and green onions. It is to simply have them warmed up.

Storage and reheating

Leftover Thai fried rice can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. Just make sure to allow the fried rice to cool completely before covering and refrigerating.

To reheat, you can simply cover and microwave the Thai fried rice until heated through. You can also reheat the fried rice on the stovetop, over medium heat. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of water into the fried rice and stir fry until heated through and the rice is tender again.

FAQ

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