Thai Crab Fried Rice w/ Prik Nam Pla Sauce

Growing up in Shanghai, I had a lot of access to incredible food. Wether it’s southern Chinese cuisine or food from other countries. My mom is a big fan of tropical fruits and Thai food. When we moved to California, we were very happy to see how popular Thai food is. However, we quickly discovered that most asian food here are always cooked in sweet starchy teriyaki like sauces. It is a flavor that is only occasionally used in Asia for specific dishes but somehow here it became the dominant Asian flavor. The good news is, over the past 2 decades, globalization and easier access to internet and traveling have significantly changed the landscape of restaurants in the US. At least in big cities like Los Angeles, it is not hard to find authentic taste profiles of different cuisines anymore. Night + Market is a delicious Thai restaurant located in West Hollywood, when chef Kris Yenbamroong came out with a cookbook under the same name, I was on the move to purchase it. My friend Emily somehow read my mind and gifted this to me as a bday gift and to this day it is one of my favorite gifts ever. This delicious crab fried rice recipe is from this cookbook. It is incrediblely easy to make. When served with Prik Nam Pla sauce, I guarantee you 99% of the time, you will no longer be impressed by the crab fried rice your neighborhood Thai restaurant serves.

Serves 1 or 2

Fried Rice Ingredients:

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 medium yellow onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 egg
3 cups steamed jasmin rice
2 tsp sugar
11/2 tbsp stir fry sauce (mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar)
11/2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup jumbo lump crabmeat
2 green onions, cut on an angle into 2-in lengths
ground white pepper
prik nam pla for serving

Direction:

Heat an empty wok over high heat until it begin to smoke, then swirl in the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and garlic and stir-fry until they are softened and translucent.

Crack in the egg and mix with the onion and garlic. Once the egg resembles. soft scramble, add the rice, sugar, and stir-fry sauce, working the rice around the wok to distribute the sauce evenly and break up the egg.

At this point use your judgement, Continue to stir-fry the ricer until the moisture has dried up, but not to the point when the rice begins to stick to the wok. You’re looking for a slight toasted color, not full-on browning.

Remove from the heat, throw in the fish sauce, crabmeat, green onion, and a dash of white pepper and toss to combine. Transfer to a plate and serve with prik nam pla on the side.

Prik Nam Pla Sauce Ingredients:

1 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh bird’s eye chiles, or to taste
3 tbsp minced garlic

Direction:

In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice, chiles, and garlic, tasting and adjusting as needed. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month. When serving, the idea is that tis can scoop out as much Chile and garlic as you want, or you can use only the slightly-less-intense liquid.