hai fried seafood rice - khao phat thalay (ข้าวผัดทะเล) - is a main course in its own right. It was the second dish after sushi that had lured me away from my dogged vegetarianism back in Bangkok.It is a true magic how you can turn leftover rice from yesterday into a gorgeous meal. But fear not, the magic is actually quite simple and does not even cost much.
- Chop and peel half a head of garlic.
- Wash well and chop a small Chinese cabbage and half a bunch of pak bung (kangkong) or kai lan (Chinese broccoli) into 3-4-cm pieces.
- If you don't have rice from yesterday, cook it afresh but add less water than usual.
- As it always goes, heat a thick-bottomed wok. If you don't have one, buy it: it has been known to turn mediocre cooks into kitchen geniuses.
- Depending on how much rice you have, add a few tablespoonfuls of odourless vegetable oil. As a rule of thumb, it's about one tablespoonful per 2 cups of rice.
- When the oil is hot, add chopped garlic and a few dried anchovies. Fry until the garlic is golden brown.
- For every two cups of rice add one cup of fresh seafood: shrimp, squid rings, baby octopuses, shelled mussels and clams, anything you have.
- Add the chopped vegetables, a couple of beaten eggs and a generous glog of fish sauce.
- When the eggs have just curdled, add the rice and mix gently but thoroughly.
- Fry until the rice is hot and has absorbed all the liquid in the wok.
- Serve as in the picture above: with spring onions, chopped fresh coriander, fresh lime and fish sauce chili dip.
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Thai language school and translation agency in Bangkok, Thailand offering Thai, Chinese, English, Japanese, Russian and Laotian (Lao, Isarn, Isaan) language courses.
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