Thai Basil Fried Rice is my absolute favorite fried rice recently!
I had with chicken, I had with pork, I had with tofu, I had with impossible meat and I loved them all!
But I gotta say, Thai basil fried rice with shrimp is definitely a winner for me!
So my Thai basil fried rice had to be with shrimp, but you can use any protein you prefer, it will all work!
Pound garlic and thai cili together in a mortar and pestle. This way the natural oil form chili and garlic will be release and will make the fried rice more fragrance. You could carefully smash with knife and chop if you don’t have mortar and pestle. Set aside.
Slice shallot and set aside along with garlic and chili.
Time to make the sauce for Thai basil fried rice!
Mix oyster sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar and black or white pepper in a small mixing bowl, set aside.
If you want to make this vegetarian version, go ahead and substitute oyster sauce to vegetarian oyster sauce and fish sauce to light soy sauce!
Heat a large skillet or a wok over high heat until smoking. Add butter and let it melt all the way. It will turn brown and smokey, no worries, this is what we want!
Add garlic, chili shallot and shrimp. Stir fry everything and cook the shrimp 1 minute each side, then mix everything in the wok and push to a side of the wok.
Crack 2 eggs in the wok. Let the eggs cook a bit then scramble the eggs. When eggs are cooked but still silky, toss everything together.
Add cold rice and pour sauce mixture. Toss everything together until rice is coated evenly with the sauce, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Toss in basil and turn off the heat. Keep tossing until basil is well combined with the fried rice.
Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy when it’s hot!
- 3 to 5 garlic cloves
- 1 to 5 Thai chili to your taste
- 1 medium shallot
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce (you can substitute withvegetarian oyster sauce)
- 1tbsp fish sauce (you can substitute with Thai light soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp palm sugar or honey
- ¼ tsp black or white pepper
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 12 oz 16/20 extra jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined
- 2 eggs
- 2½ cups day old cold jasmine rice
- handful holy basil, Thai basil or Italian basil
- Pound garlic and thai cili together in a mortar and pestle. This way the natural oil form chili and garlic will be release and will make the fried rice more fragrance. You could carefully smash with knife and chop if you don’t have mortar and pestle. Set aside. Slice shallot and set aside along with garlic and chili.
- Mix oyster sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar and pepper in a small mixing bowl, set aside.
- Heat a large skillet or a wok over high heat until smoking. Add butter, garlic, chili shallot and shrimp. Stir fry everything and cook the shrimp 1 minute each side, then mix everything in the wok and push to a side of the wok.
- Crack 2 eggs in the wok. Let the eggs cook a bit then scramble the eggs. When eggs are cooked but still silky, toss everything together.
- Add cold rice and pour sauce mixture. Toss everything together until rice is coated evenly with the sauce, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Toss in basil and turn off the heat. Keep tossing until basil is well combined with the fried rice.
- Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy when it’s hot!
