Thai Fried Rice (Vegan)
Vegan Thai fried rice – So delicious with authentic flavors just like what you get in Thai restaurants without the meat 🙂 I recreated this recipe with vivid memories of the fried rice from the streets of Thailand, absolutely delicious, flavorful and moreish! While this is a vegan recipe that I have made with just vegetables, feel free to add your favorite meat or seafood to suit your taste.
Servings: 3
Calories: 229kcal
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups cooked and cooled thai jasmine or any long grain rice from 1 cup raw rice
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 inch ginger root peeled and minced
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 4 shallots chopped
- 1/4 cup spring onion whites chopped
- 2 cups chopped mixed vegetables shredded cabbage, beans, carrots bell peppers
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce use tamari for gluten free variation
- 2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 teaspoom brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly pounded black pepper
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons torn thai basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves chopped
to serve
- lemon wedges
Instructions
Preparation
- Cook and cool rice using your preferred method. 1 cup raw rice yields about 2.5 to 3 cups of cooked rice and that is 3 regular servings. So cook accordingly. Cool the rice thoroughly.
- Peel and slice the carrots and beans into thin sticks, shred the cabbage and thinly slice the bell peppers.
- Dry roast cashews and sesame seeds until well toasted and crispy.
Making Thai fried rice
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large wok or skillet over high flame.
- Add mined ginger garlic, sliced onions or shallots and white part of scallions. Saute in high flame for a minute.
- Now add the veggies one by one and keep sauteing in high flame for 2-3 minutes.
- Add soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, salt, brown sugar, chili flakes, salt to taste and freshly cracked black peppercorns.
- Saute well in high flame for 2-3 more minutes to release the flavor of sauces.
- Next add the cooked rice and saute for a minute or two to coat everything well. Add 1 teaspoon oil if required.
- Add torn basil leaves, toasted cashews, sesame seeds and chopped cilantro leaves. Mix well.
- Serve immedietly.
Notes
Sauces- To get the real flavor and taste of fried rice, especially for vegetarian or vegan variations, sauces are important addition. Here I have used a mix of light soy sauce and vegetarian oyster sauce.
The quantities mentioned here yield mildly flavored rice only. If you reduce it further it will affect the taste and flavor, however you can increase the sauces to make more flavorful and dark colored rice.
Also to get that umami more you can add a dash of liquid aminos. ( I did not add)
Oil– Use toasted sesame oil if possible for best flavor. If sesame oil is unavailable, use any neutral flavored oil. Olive oil does not cut well with this recipe.
Also please do not skimp on oil while making this thai fried rice for best flavor.
Vegetables– You can add any of your favorite vegetables suited for fried rice in this recipe too. Here I have used shredded cabbage, carrot, beans and colored peppers. You can also add green peas, snow peas in this recipe.
Slice the vegetables in same size for uniform fast cooking. We have to saute the veggies in high heat for a brief time, so keep all the ingredients ready before you begin cooking.
Protein– Along with veggies you can add any protein here. Think tofu, mushrooms etc. If using mushrooms saute along with vegetables.
For tofu, use pressed and cubed extra firm tofu and saute along with vegetables.
Optional Add-ins– Thinly sliced bird’s eye chili or chili flakes for more spice. I used chili fakes.
Herbs– Herbs are a interesting addition to this recipe. I love to add loads of Thai basil and cilantro here. If Thai basil is not available you can use regular basil in small quantities.
Toppings– In generous quantities please 🙂 Roasted crunchy cashews and sesame seeds add so much to this recipe, they taste just wonderful along with flavorful veggies and rice. Of course lemon wedges are a must.
Nutrition
Serving: 3g | Calories: 229kcal