Thai vegetable fried rice is a quick and easy side dish that complements a variety of Thai dishes. It can also be turned into a satisfying main course by adding your favourite protein such as chicken or prawns. Packed with fresh veggies and Thai-inspired flavours, this fried rice is perfect for when you're looking for something different to make for dinner.
Thai vegetable fried rice is a delicious dish, packed with vibrant flavours. It's made in a similar way to Chinese egg fried rice in that the rice is lightly fried with egg and vegetables. But that's where the similarity ends.
Thai fried rice is made with sticky aromatic Jasmine rice whereas the Chinese version uses the more everyday long-grain or basmati rice.
Another difference is the aromatics that go into Thai vegetable fried rice. For this recipe I've made a simple sauce using a mixture of fish sauce, oyster sauce and a little sugar. You might think it strange to put sugar in a savory dish, but trust me on this one. There's only a little sugar and it really helps to balance out the saltiness of the fish sauce.
Thai vegetable fried rice is made with cold cooked rice. Rice leftover from the previous night's supper would be ideal, but if you don't have leftover rice, I'm going to show you how to make the perfect sticky jasmine rice in only 15 minutes. Then all you have to do is let it cool before using it in this recipe.
Once you've got your rice, the rest of the dish cooks in only 10 minutes, making this a fantastically quick side dish.
Not only is this dish quick to make, but it's versatile too. You can add whatever vegetables you happen to have in your refrigerator. You can even turn it into a complete meal by mixing in some juicy prawns or pieces of cooked chicken.
This rice is perfect for turning a starter of Thai salmon fishcakes into a main meal, and it also pairs beautifully with this Thai beef salad or these yummy Thai meatballs.
Here's a plate of Thai beef salad served with Thai vegetable fried rice.
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Ingredients
This recipe will make sufficient Thai fried rice for 4 people as a side dish.
- Jasmine rice - this should be cooked and cooled. Leftover rice is perfect. See 'how to cook Jasmine rice' below for easy cooking instructions. If you don't have Jasmine rice you can use Basmati, it will still taste good, but the texture will be different.
- Vegetables - I used carrots, red onions and frozen peas and corn. You can use whatever vegetables you like, but try to keep the quantities more or less the same, which is roughly the same volume of vegetables as rice. Also, cut the vegetables into small pieces - so they blend evenly into the rice.
- Egg - this is scrambled and mixed with the rice. You should break the egg into a small bowl and beat it lightly.
- Oil - if possible, use groundnut or peanut oil, but any vegetable oil will be suitable.
- Fresh coriander - some will be added to the rice, and the remainder used as garnish.
- Fish sauce - adds a salty, umami flavour to the rice.
- Oyster sauce - this is both sweet and salty and pairs well with the fish sauce.
- Sugar - just a small amount to balance the flavours of the fish and oyster sauce.
**You can find the exact ingredient quantities for making Thai vegetable fried rice on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Instructions
How to cook jasmine rice
Jasmine rice is very easy to cook in a saucepan on the stove. Here's how to do it.
You will need 1 cup of jasmine rice, one and a third cups of water and half a teaspoon of salt. I used a 240 ml measuring cup to measure the ingredients.
- Place all the ingredients into a non-stick saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally so the rice does not stick together.
- As soon as the water starts to boil, turn the heat to very low and cover the pan with a lid.
- Leave it alone for 8 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave the rice to stand covered for a further 5 minutes so that any excess liquid can be absorbed. Do not remove the lid yet.
- Once the rice has rested, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
- To cool the rice quickly, spread it in a thin layer on a baking tray.
For cooking basmati rice, see this post for how to cook rice in the microwave.
How to make Thai vegetable fried rice
Step 1: Heat the oil in a wok or a large frying pan and stirfry the finely chopped carrots and onions for about 5 minutes until they have softened.
Step 2: Push the carrots and onions to one side of the pan and tip in the lightly beaten egg.
Step 3: Stir the egg until it has scrambled and is quite dry.
Step 4: Stir in the rice, peas and corn along with chopped coriander. Stir over gentle heat until completely warmed through.
Step 5: Combine the fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar in a bowl and mix until the sugar has dissolved then stir it through the rice. Be sure to stir well so that every grain gets coated with the sauce.
Step 6: As soon as the rice is hot, transfer it to a serving dish and garnish with the remaining chopped coriander. Serve immediately.
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure your Thai vegetable rice turns out perfectly every time:
- When cooking the rice make sure you turn the heat to very low. If the heat is too high, the water will evaporate before the rice has had time to absorb it all and your rice may burn on the bottom.
- There is no need to rinse the rice first. Rinsing the rice removes starch, and it is the starch that makes Jasmine rice sticky.
- I fried the carrots with the onions as the carrots were raw. If you are using other vegetables, for example green beans, you should fry them at the same time to soften them.
- The peas and corn were pre-cooked and frozen so they only needed warming which is why they were added later.
- When scrambling the egg ensure that the egg is completely dry otherwise it will stick to the rice.
Variations
This recipe is very versatile and you can vary it in a number of ways:
- Spicy - add some heat by frying a chopped chilli pepper with the onions.
- Garlicky - add a chopped clove (or two) of garlic with the onions.
- Herby - add chopped Thai basil leaves (substitute with normal basil) and/or one or two chopped mint leaves with the coriander.
- Other vegetables - use your vegetables of choice. Green beans, beansprouts, sugar snap peas, chopped bell peppers (capsicum) or pakchoi are all suitable. Just take into account the cooking time needed for these and either cook them first, or fry them with the onions.
- Flavoured rice - to add extra flavour to the rice, add a clove of star anise to the water. Remember to remove it once the rice has cooked!
Add some protein
You can also turn this dish of Thai vegetable fried rice into a complete meal by adding some protein:
- chicken - coat pieces of chicken (either breast or thigh) in cornflour and fry them lightly in oil before adding to the rice mixture.
- prawns (shrimp) - fry the prawns in butter until they turn pink then stir them into the rice. Serve with a squeeze of lime juice to accentuate the flavour of the prawns.
- beef or pork - thinly sliced beef or pork, flash-fried in oil, add a rich savoury flavour to the dish. Use cuts of meat that fry well in a short time such as sirloin steak or pork tenderloin.
Equipment
The main equipment you will need is a wok or a frying pan large enough to take all the rice and vegetables.
For chopping the vegetables you will need a sharp knife and a chopping board.
If you are cooking rice from scratch (ie you don't have leftovers) you will also need a saucepan with a tightly-fitting lid.
Storage
Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
This rice also freezes well. Allow it to cool to room temperature and then pack it into a suitable freezer container. Freeze for up to three months
To use, defrost it in the refrigerator and then reheat either in a saucepan on the hob or in the microwave. If reheating in a saucepan, you may need to add a splash of water to prevent the rice from sticking to the pan.
FAQ
Day-old jasmine rice is best for Thai fried rice as it has a firmer texture than freshly cooked rice, which might be inclined to become mushy. However, that said, as long as you cool the rice after cooking, freshly cooked rice will be fine.
Basmati rice is also fine to use, although it is less sticky than jasmine rice so the texture of the finished dish might not be quite the same.
Avoid using short grain sushi or pudding rice as this contains too much starch and will cause 'clumping'.
It's a matter of personal taste and also what you intend on serving with the dish. If I am serving something bland I will normally add chilli to the Thai rice. If I'm serving it with a spicy dish I tend to leave the chilli out of the rice.
Save for later
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📋The recipe
Thai vegetable fried rice
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Wok OR
- Large frying pan
- Shark knife
- Chopping Board
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup frozen corn
- ½ cup finely chopped carrots or 1 medium carrot
- ½ cup finely diced red onion or ½ a medium red onion
- 1 medium egg lightly beaten
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil or other vegetable cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon white sugar optional but recommended
- 2 tablespons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a wok or a large frying pan and stirfry the finely chopped carrots and onions for about 5 minutes until they have softened.½ cup finely chopped carrots, ½ cup finely diced red onion, 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- Push the carrots and onions to one side of the pan and tip in the lightly beaten egg.1 medium egg
- Stir the egg until it has scrambled and is quite dry
- Stir in the rice, peas and corn along with half of the chopped coriander. Stir over gentle heat until completely warmed through.2 cups cooked jasmine rice, ½ cup frozen peas, ½ cup frozen corn, 1 small bunch fresh coriander
- Combine the fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar in a bowl and mix until the sugar has dissolved then stir it through the rice. Be sure to stir well so that every grain gets coated with the sauce.1 teaspoon white sugar, 2 tablespons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- As soon as the rice is hot, transfer it to a serving dish and garnish with the remaining chopped coriander. Serve immediately
Notes
- Place all the ingredients into a non-stick saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally so the rice does not stick together.
- As soon as the water starts to boil, turn the heat to very low and cover the pan with a lid.
- Leave it alone for 8 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave the rice to stand covered for a further 5 minutes so that any excess liquid can be absorbed. Do not remove the lid yet.
- Once the rice has rested, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
- To cool the rice quickly, spread it in a thin layer on a baking tray.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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