Thai Basil Fried Rice with Prawns and Vegetables

This is a Thai style fried rice recipe with Thai basil leaves. It is highly fragrant and aromatic due to the basil leaves.

A basic egg fried rice is a simple with eggs, shallots, garlic, some light seasoning and some vegetables.

I added prawns, carrots and long beans for more protein and fibre. The prawns can be substituted with chicken or any other protein of your choice.

Notes

Tbsp = tablespoon.

Tsp = teaspoon.

Chopped = chopped or cut into ½ cm pieces.

Soya Sauce = ordinary all purpose or light soy sauce. Do not use dark soy sauce.

Cooked rice = Always use rice that has been cooked and cooled down for at least for 2 hours. Do not use freshly cooked rice.

Ingredients prepared on hand = Get ready all the ingredients near your stove before frying.

Sauce = Added after the rice is slightly charred, to prevent the rice and eggs from sticking to the wok.

Thai basil = Added near the end to prevent the leaves from darkening.

INGREDIENTS:

Marinating ingredients for prawns:

1 tsp salt.

1 tsp cracked black pepper or powder.

Sauce ingredients:

1 tbsp soya sauce.

2 tbsp fish sauce.

1 tbsp oyster sauce.

2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar.

2 to 3 tbsp water.

Stir-fry ingredients:

3 to 4 tbsp cooking oil.

300 g fish cake, cut into 3 cm by 2 cm pieces.

4 shallots, finely chopped.

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped.

2 stalks lemongrass, cut into 2 cm pieces. Use only the white sections.

4 to 5 eggs, stirred and mixed.

1½ cups rice to be cooked.

½ tsp white pepper powder.

A dash of salt, to taste.

1 large carrot diced into little cubes.

100 to 200 g long beans cut into small pieces about the same size as the carrot.

1 bunch of Thai basil leaves, removed from the stems. At least ½ cup of leaves, the more the better.

20 medium or large sized (400 to 500 g – whole and unshelled) fresh prawns (fresh water or salt water) de-veined and with the mid-section of the shells peeled off. If you leave the heads on, cut off the antennae and legs. You can substitute this with chicken cut into thin slices or cubes, or any other protein of your choice.

2 stalks cilantro (coriander leaves and stalks), chopped (optional).      

METHOD:

Preparing the ingredients before frying.

1. Cook the rice and get it ready two hours before frying, allowing it to cool.
2. Peel and clean prawns, removing the shell leaving only the tails intact. Remove the lines (de-vein) located at the top and bottom of the prawns. If you leave the heads on, cut off the antennae and legs. Marinate the unshelled and deveined prawns in salt and pepper for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Chop the carrot into ½ cm cubes. Chop the green beans into the same size as the carrot pieces.
4. Chop the shallots and garlic and lemongrass (white sections only).
5. Chop the cilantro.
6. Remove the Thai basil leaves from their stems and set aside.
7. Make the sauce by mix the soya sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, palm sugar with some water.

Preparing the vegetables, fish cakes and prawns.

1. Heat up 1 tbsp oil in the wok and fry the vegetables for 2 minutes or until cooked and set aside.
2. Heat up ½ tbsp oil in the wok and sauté the sliced fish cake for 1 to 2 minutes until they are slightly brown, and set aside.
3. Sauté the marinated prawns for 5 minutes or until cooked. Remove the prawns to a plate.
4. Crack 4 eggs into a bowl and mix.

Frying the rice.

1. Reheat wok with 2 tbsp oil and set at high flame.
2. Fry the shallots, garlic and lemongrass for 1 to 2 minutes or until they are fragrant.
3. Add the eggs and scramble them with a dash of white pepper. Do not overcook the eggs.
4. Add in the cooked rice and stir and mix with the eggs.
5. Fry the rice for about 2 to 3 minutes until heated through and evenly cooked. Use the ladle to gently tap and break up the rice or any clumps.
6. Add the sauce a little at a time so that it is thoroughly mixed with the rice to give it a consistent colour.
7. Add in the fish cake, diced carrot and long beans. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes and mixed with the rice.
8. After that, add in the cooked prawns and continue to stir fry for another 1 to 2 minutes, mixing well.
9. Add the basil leaves and chopped cilantro (optional) and stir mix well for 1 minute.
10. Add in salt and white pepper according to your taste and give it a quick mix.
11. Switch off the flame and serve hot.

Prep Time: 30 mins. This excludes the time for cooking the rice which is prepared ahead of time.

Cook Time: 15 mins.

Total Time: 45 mins.

Cuisine inspiration: Thai and Malaysian Chinese.

Servings: 4