You haven’t lived until you’ve tried Thai chicken fried rice. Perfectly coated grains of rice, juicy strips of chicken, pops of tomato and a killer chilli sauce on the side. Skip the takeout – this is how you make the real-deal version at home.
2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus 1 teaspoon extra
1 onion, cut into wedges
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
150g (5 oz) thinly sliced chicken thigh fillet
1 cup sliced gai lan (Chinese broccoli)
½ small tomato, cut into wedges
2 eggs, lightly whisked
2 cups cooked rice (day-old is best)
1 tbsp Thai soy sauce
3 tsp fish sauce
½ tsp sugar
⅛ tsp ground white pepper
cucumber slices, to serve
lime wedges, to serve
Prik nam pla (chilli fish sauce):
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 birdseye chillies, sliced
1 small lime wedge
- For the prik nam pla, mix the fish sauce and chillies in a small bowl. Squeeze in the lime juice and leave the wedges sitting in the sauce (it adds extra tang as it sits and I quite like the way it looks too).
- Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and stir-fry for a minute. Add the garlic and chicken and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes or until the chicken is almost cooked. Add the gai lan. Stir-fry for another 2 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the greens are tender. Toss through the tomato.
- Move everything to the side of the wok. Add the extra teaspoon of oil into the empty side and then pour in the egg. Allow to set for a minute or so. Then flip and scramble the egg using your spatula.
- Add the rice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and pepper. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until the rice grains are evenly coated. Divide among serving plates and serve with the prik nam pla, cucumber and lime.
