Crossing the Street in Vietnam

Passport & Plate - Thai Fried Rice to Change Your Life

Thailand | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 4 photos

Ingredients
1-2 large carrots
2 bulbs baby bok choy
1 bunch green onions
¼ cup cilantro leaves, packed
¼ cup Thai basil leaves, packed
½ large head cauliflower, separated into florets
3 slices bacon
3 eggs
1 ½ Tbs sambal oelek chili paste
1 ½ Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs coconut aminos
1-inch knob fresh ginger
2 Tbs + 2 tsp chili sesame oil, separated
½ cup frozen peas
Juice of ½ lime

 

How to prepare this recipe
Start by prepping your mix-ins. Peel and dice the carrot, roughly chop the bok choy, mince the green onions, peel and mince the ginger, and roughly chop the herbs.
Next, prepare the cauliflower. Pulse the florets in a food processor until the texture is like rice, about 10 seconds. Set aside.
Heat a wok medium and start cooking your bacon.
As the bacon cooks, prepare the rest of your ingredients: crack 2 of your eggs into a small bowl and whisk them together. Combine sambal oelek, fish sauce, coconut aminos and minced ginger in a small bowl.
When the bacon is crispy, remove it from the pan onto a paper towel, leaving the drippings. Crumble and set aside.
Pour whisked eggs into the hot bacon grease and scramble for 1 to 2 minutes. Once cooked, remove from wok and set aside.
Crank up the heat to medium-high and add 2 Tbs of your chili sesame oil to the wok. Toss in your carrots and cook until soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
Stir in the bok choy, green onions and frozen peas, and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Toss in the pulsed cauliflower, crumbled bacon and cooked eggs. Pour in the fish sauce mixture and give it all a good stir.
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender but not mushy.
As it cooks, heat a nonstick skillet to medium. Add your remaining 2 tsp chili oil and once warm, carefully crack your remaining egg into the pan. Be sure to keep the yolk intact! Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until white is no longer translucent. Cover the pan to speed up cooking if necessary.
Remove egg from pan and gently set aside.
Once the cauliflower rice is soft, turn off the heat and stir in the fresh lime juice, basil and cilantro.
Serve in a shallow bowl topped with your gorgeous fried egg.

 

The story behind this recipe
From technicolor textiles to bicycle vendors clipping our elbows as they whiz past, there is plenty wrestling for our attention at Chiang Mai’s massive Night Bazaar. But Selina and I are resolute.

We scan the endless rows of food carts, each of us on an unspoken mission to make the most impressive culinary discovery of the night. As consummate foodies (in our own minds, at least), we will settle for nothing less than unforgettable.

I opt for a crispy whole fish, eyeball still in its socket, with a side of spicy tamarind sauce. An easy win, I think. I sit down at a rickety plastic table and await my challenger’s return. When Selina arrives, I’m intrigued by the glistening fried egg on her plate, but once I see what’s beneath it – a simple pile of fried rice – I’m unimpressed. After five months in Asia, there’s no way fried rice will get a rise out of me.

Still, I humor her by taking a bite. What’s this? Tangy lime juice and vivid fresh herbs? Rich fish sauce and nutty sesame oil? And right at the end – like a slap in the face – the sting of fresh chilis. This isn’t the obligatory tourist pleaser at the bottom of every yuppy restaurant menu. Complex, bright and unapologetic, this dish is like the noisy vendors surrounding us: not to be overlooked.

Selina and I share a knowing grin. She slides my ogling fish to the side and dives in for another chopstick-full, piercing the bulging egg and sending a stream of rich, golden yolk down the sides. I guess I’ll give her this round.

***

Each time I recreate this dish at home, I’m brought back to those arresting Asian night markets where I learned that there’s always something new to be found, even when you think you’ve seen it all. What I love most about it is it’s versatility – once get the sauce right, you can make just about any vegetable sing. Sometimes I even use pulsed cauliflower in place of rice for a paleo-friendly version, as shown in the photos.