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By Chris Joe
5 from 12 votes
Mar 15, 2023
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You won’t need to order this favorite Thai dish once you learn how to make this Thai basil fried rice at home! I can’t express how much I love this dish, and whenever I cook it my kitchen smells INCREDIBLE! I paired mine with shrimp, but you can swap this out for any protein, or even make it vegetarian!
I love the flavors from the subtle heat of the Thai chili peppers and the fragrance from the Thai basil. Finish it off with a squeeze of lime and you can have an authentic Thai dish at home! It’s truly a spectacular way to eat fried rice that will surely be a crowd pleaser!
Watch the Thai Basil Fried Rice Recipe Video Below!
Ingredients You’ll Need For Thai Basil Fried Rice
The ingredients for Thai basil fried rice are quite simple. You may need to take a visit to your local asian market to pick up some of the harder to find ingredients, but I’ll also provide substitutes for them down below!
- Protein of choice (I used shrimp, marinade to follow)
- Basmati or Jasmine Rice
- Eggs
- Garlic
- Thai Chili Pepper
- Oyster Sauce
- Light Soy Sauce
- Fish Sauce
- Palm Sugar
- White Pepper
- Onion
- Shallot
- MSG (optional)
My Top Ingredient Tips for Thai Basil Fried Rice
INGREDIENTS TIPS
THAI BASIL
I purchase this from my local 99 Ranch (a Chinese grocery chain) – if you cannot find Thai basil, you can sub with regular basil.
MSG
As always, this is optional 🙂
NEUTRAL OIL
My favorite neutral oil is avocado oil, but you can also use canola or vegetable oil! I don’t use olive oil when cooking Chinese food for two reasons: 1. It has a low burning point and 2. I find that the flavor profile does not usually go with the dish.
PALM SUGAR
Palm sugar is commonly used in Thai cooking – it’s made from the sap of coconut palm trees and has a caramel-y color & flavor to it that is most similar to brown sugar. It’s sold in circular blocks; I buy mine from 99 Ranch (a Chinese grocery chain). If you cannot find palm sugar, the best substitute is brown sugar or even white granulated sugar.
THAI CHILI PEPPERS
Thai cooking is known to have a bit of a kick to it, and oftentimes the spice is from using Thai chili peppers! I love using them, as a little goes a long way – however, if you are sensitive to spice, I would recommend starting with half the amount and adjusting accordingly.
Thai Basil Fried Rice: Recipe Instructions
Make Your Thai Chili Pepper & Garlic Paste
The first step in this process is to make your chili & garlic paste. This is one of the elements of the dish that makes it so fragrant! I use a mortar & pestle here, but if you don’t have one you can use a wide knife to chop and smash your paste together. Just be careful to not touch your face after handling the chili peppers! Gloves are also helpful here 🙂
Smash your garlic cloves and thai chili peppers until a paste forms. I’m using 5 cloves of garlic and 3 thai chili peppers, but you can adjust according to your spice tolerance. This was about a 6 out of 10 on the heat scale for me!
My Key Recipe Tips for Thai Basil Fried Rice
RECIPE TIPS
RICE
Do not use freshly steamed rice! The rice should be at least one day old to avoid having too much moisture; too much moisture in the rice will make your fried rice soggy and mushy.
CRUMBLE YOUR OLD RICE
I like to crumble my rice (I’ve found that dried out rice gets clumpy) – this helps each rice grain get cooked and coated in all of the delicious flavors!
SUCCESS IS IN THE PREP!
For a recipe that comes together extremely quickly, the key to pulling this recipe off successfully is having your ingredients prepped and in bowls right next to your wok or pan! Have your premixed sauce, paste, vegetables, rice, and other ingredients ready and easily accessible during the cooking process.
Bring The Dish Together in the Wok
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I LOVE cooking in my wok. It brings an extra element of smokiness and flavor to the dishes I make (wok hei). Follow the recipe video for the full process and by the end, you’ll have a beautiful pan full of Thai Basil Fried Rice!
If you liked this Thai Basil Fried Rice recipe, check out some of the most popular fried rice recipes on the blog!
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Din Tai Fung Fried Rice
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Egg Fried Rice
5 from 12 votes
Thai Basil Fried Rice
By: Chris Joe
Servings: 3
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 15 minutes mins
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This Thai Basil Fried rice is extremely fragrant, delicious, and so much better than takeout! It's super versitile and can be paired with any protein of your choice.
Ingredients
Shrimp (or Protein of Choice)
- 1/2 lb shrimp, U40-50
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Garlic & Chili Paste
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 thai chili peppers, adjust to your spice preference
Sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp palm sugar, sub regular sugar
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp msg
Other Ingredients
- 2 cups Basmati or Jasmine rice, uncooked measurement
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 2 cups thai basil, can sub regular basil
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3 tbsp neutral oil, I used avocado oil
Optional Garnish
- Thai Basil
- Lime
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
In a bowl, add peeled and deveined shrimp and marinate with soy sauce, salt, white pepper, neutral oil, baking soda and cornstarch for 15 minutes.
In a mortar and pestle, combine garlic and thai chili peppers into a paste and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together oyster sauce, light soy sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar, white pepper, and msg.
In 3 tbsp of neutral oil over high heat, saute shrimp for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, fry the garlic/chili paste for 15 seconds until fragrant, then immediately add shallots and onion. Stir fry for 1 minute.
Push the ingredients to the side, then add eggs and scramble (add 1 tbsp more oil if needed to cook the eggs). Mix together.
Add the day old rice and mix together over high heat, stir frying until the rice is toasted and relatively dry. Add the premixed sauce and combine.
Add shrimp and basil and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes over high heat. Garnish with limes and more basil and enjoy!
Additional Info
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Tried this recipe?Mention @cj.eats_ or tag #cjeatsrecipes!
