How to make tom yum fried rice

Once you've got all your ingredients in place this Thai tom yum fried rice comes together in just minutes.

Modern Tom yum (or tom yam, depending on the transliteration) is a hot and sour Thai soup built on a fragrant infusion of lemongrass, makrut lime leaf, and galangal. Fresh lime provides sourness and (vegan) fish sauce adds salt and umami. Tom yum may include coconut or evaporated milk as well as nam prik pao (a type of chilli paste).

Readers of my Substack might recall my recipe for creamy vegan tum yum spaghetti with mushrooms, where I touched on the popularity of tomyumifying foods. This trend of reimagining other dishes with the iconic flavors of tom yum has pushed tom yum beyond its traditional soup form into all sorts of interpretations. I've spotted tom yum mac and cheese on the menus of at least two vegan restaurants in Bangkok. Beyond that, the possibilities seems endless. There's yum yum congee (jok), tom yum pizza (with aromatics incorporated in the tomato sauce), tom yum drinks of various types, and, of course, tom yum fried rice. And this is what we're here for today.

Tom yum fried rice ingredients

Tom yum fried rice requires fresh lemongrass, galangal, and makrut lime leaves. There are dried varieties of all of the above available, but they lack the essential oils that make tom yum pop.

You might be wondering "is tom yum fried rice spicy," which depends entirely on the obvious: did you add chilli? And you don't have to. This idea that all Thai food must be spicy is absurd. Be willing to explore new flavours, but also: you do you.

The only real pain in the arse ingredient is nam prik pao (Thai chilli jam), which will take you some time to make but it lasts for a long time and it's a great condiment to have around for all sorts of purposes. I almost always have a jar in my fridge.

For the rice, be sure to use the jasmine variety and make sure it's cooled. Ideally you'll use day-old rice that's had an overnight in the fridge. Freshly steamed rice retains too much moisture, leading to a sticky, clumpy fried rice instead of light, separate grains. When storing the rice in the fridge, avoid packing it tightly. Instead, use a container slightly larger than needed and spread the rice loosely. This allows the grains to cool and dry out more evenly. This results in a better texture in your fried rice, where each grain remains distinct in the final dish.

Print Recipe

Tom yum fried rice

This tom yum fried rice recipe serves one. If you wish to make more than one serving, don't be tempted to double or quadruple the ingredients. Instead, cook the recipe twice; overcrowding the wok will lead to a subpar dish. Also, the lime leaf and galangal are intended here for flavour, not consumption, so don't try to gnaw your way through them (unless you really want to).

Servings: 1 serving

Equipment

• Wok

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Thai chilli jam nam prik pao (see notes¹)
• 2 teaspoons thin soy sauce (see notes²)
• 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Approximate ½ cup bite sized pieces of tofu, vegan mock meat, or seafood analogue
• 10 grams very thinly sliced lemongrass from the lower parts of the stems about 2 tablespoons
• 2 teaspoons 1 fat clove minced garlic
• 10 grams thinly sliced galangal about 5 slices
• 2 makrut lime leaves quartered
• 1-2 bird’s eye chilli roughly chopped (you can omit if you dislike spicy food)
• 150 grams cooked, cold jasmine rice
• Long coriander for serving (optional)
• Sliced cucumber, and extra lime for serving (optional)
• Extra sliced lime for serving (optional)

Instructions

• Combine the chilli jam, soy sauce, lime juice, and sugar in a small bowl and give it a stir to combine everything evenly.
• Open the windows and heat a wok over medium heat for a minute or two until it’s very hot. Add the oil and swirl it around the wok. Tip in the tofu/mock meat/seafood, lemongrass, garlic, galangal coins, lime leaves, and chilli. Stir fry for 30-60 seconds, or until it’s fragrant (a few golden spots are okay but you don’t want to burn things).
• Add the rice and add the sauce from step one. Knock the heat up to high. Toss and turn the rice, stir-frying rapidly. Continue to stir-fry for a minute or two, until any clumps in the rice are broken apart and the grains are separated and evenly coated with the seasoning.
• Plate up alongside long coriander, cucumber, and fresh lime.

Notes

1. You can find the recipe for nam prik pao here.
2. While any light soy sauce will be fine, for a real Thai flavour you'll want to use a Thai brand. You can read all about different Thai soy and seasoning sauces here.