Thai Fried Rice

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Thai red chili pepper
• 8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 cups cold cooked rice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 1/3 cup Thai basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. In a wok or large skillet, stir-fry garlic in oil until golden; then add chilies and chicken and stir-fry until chicken is cooked.
2. Add rice, sugar, fish sauce, and soy sauce, and stir-fry, mixing gently.
3. When well mixed, add shallots, basil leaves and cilantro; cook another minute or so, and serve.
4. If you desire, serve with lime wedges, chile sauce, fish sauce, or soy sauce at the table.

Fried Rice Recipe

Recently I had one conversation with a friend of mine and we had this conversation about fried rice. My friend told me that if a restaurant doesn't know how to fry a simple fried rice, we should not go back to that restaurant. Fried rice is considered to be the basic in a Chinese restaurant. So far, I did not come across any Chinese restaurant which doesn't cook a decent fried rice. After many trials and errors, and of course some research on the many recipes on the internet, below is my final conclusion on how to cook yourself a decent fried rice. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Good or bad, please let me know so that I can improve myself further. Thank you in advance.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper (optional)
• 2 cups rice, prepared and cooled
• 1/2 cup cooked pork (optional) or 1/2 cup cooked shrimp (optional) or 1/2 cup cooked chicken (optional)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup cooked peas (optional)

Cooking Method:

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet or wok. If you prefer oil, it is okay to use oil too.
2. Scramble eggs in butter then break up the cooked eggs into small pieces and set aside.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet or wok.
4. Saute onions and/or green peppers in butter for 3 minutes.
5. Combine eggs, onions, rice, and meat.
6. Stir in soy sauce until color of rice is uniform.
7. Stir in peas and serve warm.