Recipes

Thai Fried Rice with Pork and Basil

Khao Pad Kaphrao Moo

Pork and holy basil fried rice with a background heat from Thai hot chili

Prep

10 min

Cook

5 min

Serves

4

Heat

medium

What sets this fried rice apart from its Chinese-American cousin is a little Thai hot chili worked right into the garlic paste at the start, giving the whole dish a gentle background heat rather than the mild, soy-forward flavor typical elsewhere. Thinly sliced pork cooks quickly in that chili-garlic base before the rice goes in over high heat, frying until dry and lightly browned rather than staying soft and wet. A generous handful of clove-scented holy basil, stirred in only once the pan has cooled slightly, finishes the dish, which is traditionally served with fresh cucumber, green onion, and lime on the side to brighten each bite.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Pork tenderloin (thinly sliced)
• 4 cups Cooked Thai jasmine rice (cold, ideally chilled a couple hours ahead)
• 4 tablespoons Vegetable oil
• 5 Thai hot chilies (to taste, ground with the garlic)
• 7 Garlic cloves (ground with the chili)
• 2 tablespoons Oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons Fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons Sugar
• 2 Thai long chili, large (sliced, for color)
• 3 cups Holy basil (leaves and flower tops)
• 7 sprigs Coriander/cilantro leaves (for garnish)
• 2 Cucumber, small (for serving)
• 2 Lime (cut into wedges)
• 4 Green onions (for serving)

Directions

1. Have the rice cooked and cold ahead of time — chilling it in the fridge for a couple of hours helps it fry up drier rather than sticky.
2. Pick the basil leaves and flower tops. Grind the chili and garlic together with a mortar and pestle, or chop finely.
3. Heat the oil in a wok over low-medium heat — not too hot, or the garlic will burn. Add the garlic and chili paste and fry for a few seconds.
4. Add the sliced pork, stirring it into the chili mixture. Fry until nearly cooked through, with just a little pink remaining.
5. Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir and fry together until the sugar melts and the sauce turns thick and sticky.
6. Turn the heat up as high as it will go. Add the cold rice and stir it into the sauce until most of the liquid is absorbed.
7. Keep frying and flipping the rice from the bottom until it dries out and browns a little in spots, which can take 5 minutes or more — be patient but watch for burning.
8. Add the sliced mild long chili and stir in.
9. Turn off the heat and let cool for about a minute, then stir in the basil until evenly distributed.
10. Serve on individual plates, garnished with cilantro and fresh basil leaves, alongside cucumber, green onion, and lime wedges to squeeze over the rice as desired.

Notes

Use rice that's been fully chilled, not just cooled — cold, slightly firm rice fries up dry and separate, while warm rice tends to clump and steam instead of frying properly.

Substitutions

Chicken breast or leg meat can replace the pork tenderloin. Bell pepper can stand in for Thai long chili if you just want color without heat.