A recipe for tom yum fried rice
I don't know what to put for the subtitle
My notebooks and Google drive overfloweth. Hundreds of unfinished recipes sit in wait of me becoming interested in them again, remembering they exist at all to begin with, and/or finding the juice to share them publicly. Anyway, this one’s been knocking around for a minute and it’s pretty easy to boot. The only pain in the arse element is the making of nam prik pao (Thai chilli jam), but it’s worthwhile, keeps for ages in the fridge, and it’s one of those ingredients you can use to perk everything up. It’s definitely worth having around.
Modern Tom yum, as at least two of the 5 people reading this probably know, is a hot and sour Thai soup built on a fragrant infusion of lemongrass, makrut lime leaf, and galangal. Sourness comes from fresh lime and salt from (vegan) fish sauce. It may include coconut or evaporated milk as well as nam prik pao.
I posted a recipe last August for creamy vegan tum yum spaghetti with mushrooms, in which I briefly mentioned the popularity of tomyumifying foods. This trend to adapt dishes to the iconic flavours of tom yum paves the way for a transcendence from its traditional soup form. I’ve seen at least two vegan restaurants in Bangkok with tom yum mac and cheese on their menus. Among many other tomyumified dishes there’s also tom yum pizza, which incorporates the aromatics in the tomato sauce topping, tom yum jok (congee), tom yum drinks, and, of course, tom yum fried rice. And the latter is what we’re here to talk about today.
A lot of folks struggle with stir fries, perhaps especially fried rice, but it’s actually pretty simple so long as you adhere to the following:
Use old rice. Make extra steamed rice for your Tuesday curry and on Wednesday you can have fried rice. The reason you don’t use newly cooked, hot rice is because it’s too moist and will result in a mushy final dish. Old, cold rice contains less moisture.
High heat is important. This way you can quickly cook the rice thoroughly without it becoming soggy.
Prep all of your ingredients in advance because the cooking moves very quickly.
Do not overcrowd your wok. If you want to make more than one serving, make the recipe as many times as you need rather than combining four portions of rice and cooking it in one go.
Vegan tom yum fried rice
Makes 1 serving
1 tablespoon Thai chilli jam (nam prik pao)
2 teaspoons thin soy sauce
1 ½ teaspoons fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Approximate ½ cup bite sized pieces of tofu, vegan mock meat, or seafood analogue
10 grams (about 2 tablespoons) very thinly sliced lemongrass from the lower parts of the stems
2 teaspoons (1 fat clove) minced garlic
10 grams (about 5 slices) galangal
2 makrut lime leaves, halved or quartered
1 bird’s eye chilli, roughly chopped (you can omit if you dislike spicy food)
150 grams cooked, cold jasmine rice
Long coriander, sliced cucumber, and extra lime, for serving (all optional but recommended)
Combine the chilli jam, soy sauce, lime juice, and sugar in a small bowl and give it a stir to combine everything evenly.
Open the windows and heat a wok over medium heat until it’s very hot. Add the oil and swirl it around the wok. Tip in the tofu/mock meat/seafood, lemongrass, garlic, galangal coins, lime leaves, and chilli. Stir fry for 30-60 seconds, or until it’s fragrant (a few golden spots are okay but you don’t want to burn things).
Add the rice and add the sauce from step one. Knock the heat up to high. Toss and turn the rice, stir-frying rapidly. Continue to stir-fry for a minute or two, until any clumps in the rice are broken apart and the grains are separated and evenly coated with the seasoning.
Plate up alongside long coriander, cucumber, and fresh lime.
Please note the lime leaf and galangal are intended here for flavour, not consumption. The lemongrass, because you’ve sliced it thinly, is edible.