Crab Fried Rice - Khao Pad Buu - ข้าวผัดปู
Thai-style crab fried rice
Ingredients
Chilies in fish sauce - prik nam pla - optional condiment for drizzling on the rice
- 1.5 Tbsp fish sauce
- 4 thinly sliced red or green bird chilis
- 1 thinly sliced clove of garlic
Crab Fried Rice
- 4 Tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 20 grams roughly chopped garlic (about 5 cloves)
- 3 thinly sliced scallions, green parts reserved for garnish
- 2 eggs
- about 4 cups (475g) cooked and cooled jasmine rice (made from 1 cup of uncooked rice, see link above)
- 1/8 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp white pepper powder
- 1/4 tsp chicken bouillon powder (optional)
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce (can omit and substitute with 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce if a lighter colored fried rice is desired)
- 6 ounces fresh crabmeat (about 1 cup loosely packed)
- lime wedges and cucumber slices for serving
Instructions
Chilies in fish sauce - prik nam pla
- Combine fish sauce, sliced chilies and garlic in a small bowl and set aside until ready to eat
Crab Fried Rice
- Make sure you have everything cut and measured before you start cooking. I like to put the garlic and scallion whites in one container; the white pepper, sugar, and bouillon powder in another container; and the fish sauce and soy sauce in another container. This makes cooking a bit easier as these different groups of ingredients will be added to the pan at the same time.
- **If your pan is small or your burner is not very powerful, Divide your ingredients in half and cook the fried rice in 2 batches, this will ensure you can properly stir-fry (instead of steaming) and will keep the rice from sticking to the pan.. A well-seasoned wok or cast iron pan will also help reduce sticking**
- Heat the wok or pan over medium-high heat and then add the cooking oil. *see note below regarding temperatures*
- Add the garlic and scallion whites to the hot oil. (save the scallion greens for garnishing)
- Cook the garlic and scallion whites over medium-high heat for about 10-15 seconds until they are aromatic but not brown.
- Add the eggs. If the temperature of the pan is correct, they should start to bubble up and cook immediately without burning, sticking, or scorching.
- Break up the eggs with the back of your spoon or spatula and begin to cook while stirring. If the temperature of the pan is correct, the eggs will actively cook and scramble without burning or sticking. Cook for about 10-15 seconds until the curds are set.
- Turn the heat up to high and add the cooked rice. Begin to break up the rice with your spoon or spatula. Stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the white pepper, sugar, and bouillon powder and toss to combine.
- Stir fry the rice for about 1 minute.
- Add the fish sauce and soy sauce around the edge of the pan and stir fry for 1-2 more minutes. Rice should start to slightly dry out without burning.
- Add the crabmeat.
- Stir fry the rice for 1-2 more minutes until everything is hot, well combined, and the grains of rice are separate, not clumpy.
- Serve on 2 plates (1 plate if part of a larger, family-style meal) and garnish with sliced scallion greens. Serve fried rice with lime wedges, cucumber slices, and the chilies in fish sauce for drizzling.
Notes
*the temperatures in this recipe are geared towards home stoves, if using a hi-output wok burner the temperatures will be lower. All home stoves are different so use your best judgment of temperature to ensure you are stir-frying without burning or scorching the rice.