Recipe: Thai Vegetarian Basil Fried Rice

Basil has probably got to be my favourite herb for cooking. The Thai variety, available at wet markets and known as daun selasih is smaller than Sweet Basil with delicate purple flowers. It has a sweetish, peppery taste. Here is a recipe for a popular Thai dish, Kao Pad Krapao, that has been modified for vegetarians.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups cooked Jasmine rice, preferably cooked day before
3-4 red shallots, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chilly, deseeded and chopped
50 g young asparagus, sliced on an angle into 1 inch pieces
50g French or long beans,  sliced on an angle into 1 inch pieces
100 g button mushrooms, sliced
1 red capsicum, sliced thinly
100 g vegetarian ham or sausage, diced (substitute chicken or shrimp for non-vegetarian version)
2-3 tbsp light soy sauce (substitute fish sauce for non-vegetarian version)
1/2 tsp white pepper or to taste
Pinch sugar
1/4 cup Thai basil
Additional Thai basil and coriander sprigs to garnish

Heat wok till it just begins to smoke. Add oil, swirl to coat. Add shallots, garlic and chilly and stir fry briskly. Add vegetarian ham or sausage and fry for about 3 minutes until lightly golden. Throw in beans, mushrooms and capsicum. Sprinkle in some water and stir fry for another couple of minutes. Quickly add rice, soy sauce, pepper and sugar and toss well. Add basil and mix well. Garnish with additional basil leaves and coriander, if desired. Serve immediately.

Recipe: Balinese-style Yellow Rice

I love going to Bali, if only to immerse oneself in the local culture, which, by and large, has been able to withstand the impact of international tourism. I wish I could say that this was the norm, rather than the exception in most other tourist hotspots. Certainly places like Kuta are sadly, by now, way too overcommercialised, but there are still certain parts of the island that are rustic, authentic and positively charming.

I picked this up during my last trip there. It's a subtly aromatic and rich rice dish which lends itself well paired with curries and other meat dishes such Ayam Masak Kicap. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups AAA grade long-grain jasmine rice

1/2 cup thick coconut creme 

1 chicken stock cube, mashed

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 cinnamon stick

4-5 shallots, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, smashed lightly

2 stalks lemon grass, smashed lightly

1 - 1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp lime juice

2 cups water

1 small bunch screwpine (pandan) leaves, shredded and knotted

3-4 kaffir lime leaves, torn into large pieces

Crsip fried shallots, to garnish (optional)

Wash rice in a colander several times or until water runs clear. Set over a sink or bowl and drain well for about 1/2 hour.

Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. When hot, add shallots, cinnamon stick, garlic and lemon grass and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat 1/2 coconut milk and dissolve chicken stock cube into the mixture, stirring well (Alternatively, heat in microwave for about 1 minute).  When shallots are wilted, add rice, turmeric and lime juice and stir well for about 5 minutes or until the rice is well coated and slightly puffed up. Add the coconut milk mixture and stir well until liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a rice cooker, add salt, and water. Place screwpine leaves on the top and scatter kaffir lime leaves around. Cook until liquid is completely absorbed. Stand for about 10 minutes. Lift lid up, and pour remaining coconut milk over the top. Cover for about 5 minutes, fluff up and stand another 5 minutes before serving, garnished with shallot crisps if desired.

Recipe: Chinese Fried Rice

Ah...the quintessential Chinese dish, Fried Rice.  I guess it's almost unimaginable for many Asians to survive on a diet that does not include rice. I remember the many holidays I took as a child. Whether it was London, Cape Town, or Boston, by day 3, my father would be out and about hunting for his rice fix. In many cases, we ended up in Chinatown, and fried rice was usually what we ordered as it was fast, easy to consume and safe. "Hallo, hallo, you want fly lice?" Although I myself have had one plate too many of the dish (think every wedding or banquet dinner!)  to the point that I don't usually make this at home, there's something to be said about the ease in which this dish comes together and its appeal as a one pot meal. It's also a great way to get rid of excess quantities of vegetables or meat that you may have stocked in your fridge which are in themselves,  too small for a full dish. You can vary the ingredients according to what you have available.

I've had numerous goes at fried rice and it's one of those things that can turn out to be either gobsmackingly good or a blooming disaster. At its best, it's really yummy, with the slight charred taste from the wok, and the ingredients coming together beautifully. At its worst, it can be soggy, tasteless and begging to be binned.  Here are some tips that I've picked up over time which may will hopefully allow you to avoid the latter scenario:

• Always use cold rice, preferably made the night before. If you need to cook a fresh batch of rice, cook it in the morning, cool it immediately under a fan, before refrigerating.
• Always fluff up the rice with a fork before you proceed. This helps you avoid a situation where the rice sticks together in clumps.
• To avoid the rice sticking to the bottom of your pan, heat the wok first before adding the oil. If it does stick, don't despair. It's not the end of the world. 
• There are two ways to cook the eggs required for this dish. The first is to cook them separately before everything else. The second is to make a well in the center of the wok, crack them in, and incorporate them into the rice. I've done it both ways. However, if you're inexperienced it's much easier to cook them first.
• The wok has to be screaming hot for you to make this dish well. I use an aluminum wok which is great.
• You will be tempted to sprinkle in water to avoid burning the dish. I keep a cup of water on the side and I do sprinkle in some water as I stir fry the vegetables. As a general rule of thumb, water should be used sparingly.
• A good "base" for the dish is dried shrimp, pulverized in your blender, which lends the dish a nice savoury quality. This is optional, but I've learned that by adding this, you can avoid having to use copious amounts of soy sauce later. You may also use fried salted fish.

One of the great things about this dish is you can vary the ingredients according to what you have on hand

Here is my version of Chinese Fried Rice.

Ingredients:

3 cups cold, overnight rice, fluffed up with a fork

1/4 cup dried shrimp, powdered in a spice grinder until fine

1 red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4-5 long beans, diced (substitute french beans if desired)

1 medium carrot, diced

4 pieces sweet baby corn, diced

50-100g good quality ham, diced (substitute luncheon meat or sausages if desired)

100 g chicken meat, cubed  (substitute shrimp if desired)

3 eggs

Seasoning (mixed together)

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 tsp chicken stock granules (optional)

1/4 tsp sugar

2-3 tbsp oil

1 tsp sesame oil

Spring onion curls, strips of red chilly and coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

Marinade chicken or shrimp lightly with salt, pepper and sugar. Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok over medium heat. When hot, crack in eggs, season lightly with salt and pepper, scramble, and dish up. Heat remaining oil, crank up the heat. Add onion, stir fry for about a minute or so until soft, add garlic and dried shrimp. When fragrant, add carrots and ham, and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle in a little water. Add chicken or shrimp, stir briskly, before adding beans and corn. Keep stirring, sprinkling in water to control the heat. When chicken is cooked, add rice and seasoning ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Adjust seasoning to taste. When rice has taken on a smoky flavour, add eggs and sesame oil, mix well to incorporate and dish up. Serve immediately, garnished with spring onion curls, strips of red chilly and coriander leaves, if desired.