Thai Basil Fried Rice — Sweet & Savorhie

After I graduated college, I went on a mission trip to south east Asia and had the opportunity to visit Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. I think it was there that I fell in love with flavors of South East cuisine. Fish sauce, Phrik chilis, kaffir limes, Thai basil, coconut milk, sugar palm, green papaya, oyster sauce…the list goes on and on. I always dreamed of going back and that dream came true when my husband and I went back to Asia for our honeymoon. We spent our first week in Phuket and stayed at the amazing Sri Panwa Hotel. (If you ever plan to visit Phuket, I highly recommend it! I shared a few photos from our honeymoon below.)

Isn’t this the most gorgeous view EVER? This was our breathtaking view from the Baba Nest roof top

360° panoramic views of 12 surrounding islands and the glittering azure waters of the Andaman Sea

Voted World’s Most Beautiful Roof Top Bar & us in our younger days

This view from our shower in our private villa was EVERYTHING

(Our entire honeymoon from start to finish was magical, especially the food. From the five start restaurants to the small, hole-in-the-wall eateries, the food was unforgettable. Just looking back at these photos makes me hungry...)

I got a little carried away reminiscing, but the point is... I LOVE THAI FOOD 😋

Thai cuisine, much like Korean food uses many fresh ingredients that are specific to each region. Thai food combines salty, sweet, sour and spicy together to create dishes that are full of flavor. Some ingredients can be hard to come by, but this dish only calls for Thai Basil, which can be found in most Asian grocery stores.

You can easily modify this recipe and add other veggies and different meats, because it's virtually fool proof! It's a favorite in our home & I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients: (3 servings)

4 cups cooked rice, cooled

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 TBS minced garlic
6 oz. Pork Loin filet (chicken/beef) cut into thin 2” pieces
1/2 cup Thai Basil leaves, chopped
4 stalks green onion, chopped
1 scrambled egg
1 TBSP olive oil
OPTIONAL: 4-6 Thai chili peppers, thinly sliced

Sauce:

2 TBSP oyster sauce
1 TBSP fish sauce
2 Tsp white sugar

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large skillet or wok and add minced garlic
Add chopped onions and bell pepper, until onions become translucent
In a separate bowl, combine oyster sauce, sugar and fish sauce and mix well
Add pork to wok and add sauce mixture, stirring continuously until pork is fully cooked
Add cooking oil to a small pan and scramble one egg and set aside.
Add green onions and basil to pork
Raise the heat and add rice. Using the back of a wooden spoon or spatula, break up the clumps of rice until all ingredients are mixed together
Lower the heat and add scrambled egg and mix together

Serve with fresh Thai chilis or enjoy with your favorite hot sauce!