Ingredients
Rice
- 400 gcooked jasmine rice, cold, ideally a day old
Protein
- 200 gchicken, prawns or pork, in small pieces
- 2eggs
Base
- 4 clovesgarlic, chopped
- 1small onion, sliced
- 2spring onions, in lengths
- 1tomato, in wedges
- 3 tbspoil
Seasoning
- 2 tbspfish sauce
- 1 tbsplight soy sauce
- 1 tspsugar
- ½ tspwhite pepper
- 1 tspoyster sauce, optional
Prik nam pla
- 3 tbspfish sauce
- 3bird’s eye chillies, sliced
- 1 clovegarlic, sliced
- a squeeze of lime
To serve
- lime wedges
- sliced cucumber
- spring onion
- coriander
Directions
- Use cold cooked rice, ideally cooked the day before and refrigerated overnight. Freshly cooked rice is full of moisture and its starch is soft, so it clumps and turns to mush the moment it hits a hot wok.
- Break up any clumps with wet fingers before it goes in the pan. Cook the rice slightly drier than usual if you are making it specially, using a little less water. Get the wok as hot as it will go, until it just begins to smoke.
- Cook in small batches rather than one large one, since a crowded wok cannot stay hot. The whole thing takes about three minutes and there is no time to prepare anything once it starts. Heat the oil and fry the garlic for a few seconds until it just smells fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown, since it will keep cooking through everything that follows and burnt garlic turns the whole dish bitter.
- Add the chicken or prawns and stir-fry until just cooked, then push them to one side of the wok. Letting the egg set briefly before breaking it up gives distinct soft pieces rather than a coating smeared over everything.
- Press the rice against the hot wok with the back of the spatula, then toss and repeat. That pressing and tossing is the actual technique, since it exposes each grain to the hot metal in turn. Keep it moving constantly for two or three minutes.
- Pour the fish sauce and soy down the hot sides of the wok so they sizzle as they run in. Pouring seasoning down the sides caramelises it against the hot metal, which is where wok flavour comes from. Add the sugar and white pepper. Add them at the very end so they stay crisp and the tomato holds its shape rather than collapsing.
- Toss everything together and take it off the heat. Taste it and adjust the fish sauce, since it should be clearly savoury rather than bland. Mix the fish sauce, sliced chillies, garlic and lime together in a small dish. Serve the rice mounded on a plate with a lime wedge, cucumber slices and coriander. Cucumber and raw spring onion alongside are standard and give a cool crunch against the hot rice.
Technique
- Fish sauce rather than soy is the main seasoning, unlike Chinese fried rice.
- Cold day-old rice fries where fresh rice steams.
- Prik nam pla on the side is part of the dish.
Substitutions
- Any leftover long grain rice, though jasmine is better.
- Soy sauce if you have no fish sauce, accepting a different dish.
Variations
- Khao pad kraphao, with holy basil and chilli.
- Khao pad sapparot, served in a hollowed pineapple.
- Khao pad American, with fried chicken, hot dog and ketchup.
Frequently asked questions
What is Khao Pad?
Khao Pad is a main from Thailand: thai fried rice with egg, served with lime and cucumber.
How long does Khao Pad take to make?
Khao Pad takes 15 min of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Khao Pad?
Yes, within limits. Any leftover long grain rice, though jasmine is better. Soy sauce if you have no fish sauce, accepting a different dish.
What is the most important thing to get right in Khao Pad?
Cook in small batches rather than one large one, since a crowded wok cannot stay hot. The whole thing takes about three minutes and there is no time to prepare anything once it starts. Heat the oil and fry the garlic for a few seconds until it just smells fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown, since it will keep cooking through everything that follows and burnt garlic turns the whole dish bitter.
