I have here another recipe using basil! This is an easy Basil Fried Rice packed with the delicious flavours of basil. I used a mix of homegrown thai and holy basil. This is an easily customisable and a great way to use up any leftover rice, veggies, and protein of choice. This is hearty meal as-is but you can also enjoy this with other tofu dishes.
WHAT'S THE SECRED TO GOOD FIRST RICE? LEFTOVER RICE
I highly recommend to use leftover day old, cooked, and cooled rice! This way excess moisture from the rice has evaporated and you can easily separate your rice for the fried rice.
I personally prefer leftover rice for fried rice because freshly cooked rice can still have lots of moisture that'll yield a mushy and sometimes sticky fried rice. If you're cooking rice to use for fried rice, I recommend to add less water so that the rice isn't as moist than rice that will be eaten plain.
Also, be sure to break apart your rice. I used leftover medium grain rice from the previous night.
WHAT BASIL SHOULD I USE? IS THAI BASIL THE SAME AS BASIL?
Thai basil is a kind of basil actually and I used a mix of holy and thai basil for this recipe, but you can also use sweet basil. Any type of basil works, really, since it's really depending on what you have access to. I personally love the peppery notes from the holy basil and love it mixed with thai basil.
HOW TO COOK THIS BASIL FRIED RICE
IT'S SUPER EASY!
- Heat a pan or wok with some oil. Saute the onion and then add in the garlic.
- Add vegetables and protein of choice and cook until tender. Add half of the basil and you can break this apart with your hands.
- I add the tomato last because I want to retain the chunks and not overcook the tomato.
- Add the leftover rice. Season your rice. Mix well and feel free to add more of the seasonings if needed.
- Add the rest of the basil and mix into the rice until wilted.
- Serve the rice and enjoy while hot. I like to stuff my rice into a bowl and then flip it over on a plate to create a dome shape.
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Basil Fried Rice
Ingredients
Fried Rice
- 2 cups cooked and cooled rice leftover is best
- Neutral oil for cooking
- 1/2 onion sliced or diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup fresh basil I used a mix of Thai and holy basil
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 long green chili optional for heat
- 1 small tomato diced
- Feel free to use any other protein and vegetables of your choice
Seasoning
- 1.5 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce or stir-fry sauce
- 1-2 tbsp soy sauce to taste
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce optional for colour
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- Freshly ground pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Break apart your rice. I used leftover medium grain rice from the previous night.
- Heat a pan or wok with some oil. Saute the onion and then add in the garlic.
- Add vegetables and protein of choice and cook until tender. Add half of the basil and you can break this apart with your hands.
- I add the tomato last because I want to retain the chunks and not overcook the tomato.
- Add the leftover rice. Season your rice. Mix well and feel free to add more of the seasonings if needed.
- Add the rest of the basil and mix into the rice until wilted.
- Serve the rice and enjoy while hot. I like to stuff my rice into a bowl and then flip it over on a plate to create a dome shape.
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I loved this! I bought a lot of basil at the farmers market and needed to use it in dishes that weren’t just pesto and pasta. I didn’t have stir fry or oyster sauce so I just tweaked with a bit of hoisin sauce. I love garlic so I doubled that and ditched the ginger cause I ran out.
Glad you liked it, Layla! Thanks so much for the review!!
I haven’t tried this yet, but because I’m just learning to cook I really like having specified times for each step instead of “cook until tender” and “do not overcook.” I also find it helpful in all my recipes to have exact amounts instead of “some oil.” As a technical writer for more than three decades, and now a cookbook writer and publisher, I find it more helpful to not assume any previous knowledge of your readers.
Appreciate the feedback, Andrash!
Solid 5 Stars! This was my first time making and also eating Basil Fried Rice. My husband loved it and said it reminded him of his trip to Thailand. Finding Thai basil was a beastie, but worth the search! Thanks for your recipe!
Glad you found some basil to make this ◡̈ thanks Jenni!
Fantastic recipe! Tastes just like what they serve at my favorite Thai restaurant. Only recommendation is to start with 2/3 the amount of soy sauce as it’s a bit on the saltier side.
Hey Mandy, thanks for the feedback! Glad you like it 🙂