Thai egg fried rice is an economically viable, simple recipe that involves throwing everything together in a pan and watching it magically transform into something amazing (for a more traditional Chinese Fried Rice click here). The ingredients you start with are ordinary and uninteresting, but the end result is a light brown, golden dream with a pleasantly filling effect. This egg fried rice is super simple with only three ingredients and tons of flavor. It is one of the recipes I grew up eating that might make a few of you look at me funny, but it is oh-so good.
When I was a kid, my family didn’t have the most money in the world. I spent some of my younger years with my Asian grandparents who struggled to make ends meet with seven kids and a small restaurant to manage. Because of this, my grandparents became experts at stretching the food budget while still making everything delicious and flavorful. One of my favorite memories with them was playing in the back of the restaurant during business hours and eating some of these simple dishes. Egg fried rice is one of those recipes that I was fortunate enough to learn how to make.
Okay, maybe this dish isn’t quite as amazing as I’m making it out to be. I may be a little biased because this is a nostalgic treat for me, but you can’t deny its merits as a money-saving dish. This recipe makes a total of four good sized servings and only costs about $2.25 without any additions. That’s 60 cents per serving! With all the money you save, you'll have plenty left over to pair your fried rice with some Thai Iced Tea.
With or without any additions, this dish makes quite a lot of food. Realistically, if you don’t have a bunch of other people eating this with you, you’re going to have some left over. Luckily, this dish is great leftover from the previous night. Be sure to store any leftovers covered or sealed in the fridge. When you want to eat it, just heat it in a pan with a little extra water. If you have a microwave, you can put the fried rice in a microwave-safe bowl with a little water, cover it with a paper towel, and throw it in the microwave for about a minute. You’ll be enjoying the fried rice again as if it were freshly made in a flash.
Thai Egg Fried Rice
- Prep Time:5 mins
- Cook Time:35 mins
- Total Time:40 mins
- Servings:4
- Easy
- 3 cups Jasmine rice
- 3 cups water
- 6 eggs beaten
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
Ingredients
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Step 1
Add rice to a saucepan and add a little water until the rice is just covered. Mix the water and rice around a little bit so you can rinse off any impurities from the rice. The impurities won’t kill you or make you sick, but it improves the quality of the cooked rice to rinse it a little. The water should look milky after doing this. Be sure to drain as much of this water from the rice as possible, leaving only the wet rice in the saucepan.
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Step 2
Add water in a 1:1 ratio with the rice (meaning for every cup of rice you are cooking, add a cup of water to match). I always make one cup of rice at a time because it is the perfect amount for just one person, but this recipe calls for three. You can add a little extra water if you think you’ll leave the rice on the stove a little too long. You can also add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to help with this same problem.
Susanna Mostaghim -
Step 3
Heat the rice uncovered on high until just boiling. Then mix the rice, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Let the rice simmer like this for about twenty minutes, or until the rice looks fluffy and has soaked up the water.
Susanna Mostaghim -
Step 4
Remove the rice from heat and remove the lid. Fluff the rice with a fork so the rice can cool quickly and stop cooking.
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Step 5
In a large pan, add about a teaspoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Cook the egg in the pan. Make sure you move it constantly and scrape the bottom and sides of the pan. The eggs will be done when it is no longer runny and has lost most of its shininess.
Susanna Mostaghim -
Step 6
Add the rice and mix. Then sprinkle on the fish sauce until the rice has a light brown hue. Be careful when adding the fish sauce because it can very easily overpower the dish and make it too salty.
Susanna Mostaghim -
Step 7
Continue cooking the rice, stirring and flipping constantly until the rice is slightly sticky and the egg is dispersed evenly. Serve warm and enjoy!
Susanna Mostaghim
I hope you guys love this recipe just as much as I do. It’s super simple with only three main ingredients, it costs next to nothing for each serving, and it’s delicious with or without any additions. It’s a super nostalgic dish for me, and I hope it becomes a super helpful dish for you guys. Enjoy!