Hard to believe but summer is already winding down to a close, with lots of kids heading back to school next week. To ease you back into the daily grind, I’m sharing one of my easiest and fastest meals, Thai Chicken Fried Rice. It makes excellent use of leftovers; so excellent in fact that you’ll find yourself making extra batches of both rice and chicken so they will be on hand for this speedy family favorite. What makes this dish Thai? I use Jasmine rice, season it with a pop of funky fish sauce, and as a finishing touch I serve it with prik nam pla, the fiery hot sauce I shared last week. Some chopped cilantro, a couple slices of crunchy cooling cucumber, and a squeeze of fresh lime… it’s a feast of flavors in a simple little meal that you can make faster than you can say homework battles and soccer practice.

Leftovers Make Thai Chicken Fried Rice Magic!

One of the things I most love about this recipe is that it uses leftover, chilled rice (read about how chilled rice makes the best fried rice here) and also leftover chicken. You have some roast chicken from Sunday’s dinner in the fridge? Perfect! You can even use a store bought rotisserie chicken. Really any kind of leftover chicken will work. If your chicken was made with spices/herbs, you can give it a quick rinse and no one will be the wiser! Using up these leftovers isn’t just economical, it means your Thai Chicken Fried Rice is ready in less than 15 minutes. I start by prepping the garlic and scallions. Like all quick stir fried dishes, it is best to have all your ingredients measured and prepped before beginning.

I can’t say enough good things about cold rice in the fridge. It’s the Asian equivalent of sliced bread in the cabinet: a true staple and workhorse that’s always ready when hunger strikes. Not only can you count on it as a side for quick weeknight meals and fried rices, but it’s perfect for mid-day snacks with a little furikake or topped with a fried egg (insert link here). Since it stays fresh for several days, it’s handy to always have some.

One quick tip about using cold rice: it’s clumpy and in order to heat it evenly and thoroughly, you need to help it along. So use clean wet hands and use your fingers to gently crumble it until all of the lumps are broken up.

Have all of your ingredients right by the stove because you are adding oil and garlic in a smoking hot pan and garlic goes from golden brown to burnt in seconds. Keep a close eye because you will be be tossing in the chicken and in just a few seconds.

Once you add the chicken and rice, you want to use a pressing motion to sear the rice along the sides of the pan before scraping it off and mixing it back in. Searing the rice gives it that authentic flavor that is the hallmark of good restaurant fried rice. Cold rice tends to stick to the pan, but as it heats up, it will be easier to work with so just keep pressing, searing, and scraping.

Once the flavorings are added, give it another minute to fully absorb the fish sauce and then you’re done.

I like to serve my Thai Chicken Fried Rice garnished with some lime, cilantro and sliced cucumber and pass around the prik nam pla so everyone can make theirs as spicy as their heart desires.

Thai Chicken Fried Rice is the perfect meal for a busy school/work night, and I hope everyone at your table loves it! Leave a comment and let me know what you think, and of course tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

If you love Thai food as much we do try some of our other popular recipes like this Green Curry Tofu or Tamarind Shrimp.

Thai Chicken Fried Rice

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: serves 2

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Ingredients

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• 3 Tablespoons neutral oil
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 6 ounces cooked chicken (about 1 ½ cups roasted, grilled, or even poached is fine)
• 3 cups cold cooked rice (preferably Jasmine or a medium grain)
• 2 scallions 
• 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
• Ground black pepper

Garnishes:

• 1 persian cucumber trimmed and sliced
• 1 handful cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 lime wedges
• *Thai Fish Sauce With Hot Chiles 

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Instructions

1. Trim and mince the scallions, then set aside. 
2. Separate the rice with wet hands or a fork so that you don’t have any large clumps and set aside.
3. Heat a wok or wok pan over high heat for several minutes until very hot and smoking. 
4. Add the oil and the garlic. Swirl the garlic in the oil for a couple of seconds until lightly golden. 
5. Add the chicken and stir fry for a minute, mixing it well.
6. Add the rice and keep stir frying for a couple of minutes, pressing the rice into the sides of the pan to sear it and then scraping it off and mixing it back in. It may stick to the sides of the pan at first but it will become less sticky as it cooks. 
7. Turn off the heat and add the scallions, fish sauce, and ground black pepper to taste. Turn the heat back on and continue cooking for another minute. 
8. Transfer Thai Chicken Fried Rice to a platter or individual plates. Garnish with the cucumbers, cilantro, and lime wedges.
9. Serve with the chile fish sauce on the side for additional seasoning.

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Keywords: thai, fried rice, chicken, khao phat gai, fast, spicy,

Tofu may be one of the most unfairly maligned foods in the world. But it’s such an economical and nutritional powerhouse! It’s packed with protein and calcium, it’s low carb (if that’s your thing), and it just needs a little love to really make it sing. This Black Bean Tofu is a favorite for meatless Monday or any day of the week. The sauce is complex, tangy, and rich. The steamed tofu has a wonderful texture, and the addition of mushrooms really elevates this simple classic.

Everyone has a childhood food memory they cherish. And I have one of being in my highchair and picking Chinese fermented beans from my scoop of rice. And for years, the taste and flavor of these beans haunted me because I didn’t know what they were or how to ask for them. The only problem is we’re Japanese and my mom swears she would not have had these in the house and could not have given them to me. Plus, if you ask anyone who knows me well, they’ll tell you that my memory is terrible…so this probably isn’t an actual memory. But I don’t care. I claimed this memory years ago and I’m sticking to it.

Lots of Ingredients But Quick Prep… Promise

Don’t be alarmed by the long ingredient list. With the exception of maybe the Shaoxing wine, the ingredients are things you likely already have on hand, and the dish comes together very quickly.

I start making Black Bean Tofu by getting the tofu and the mushrooms ready for steaming. If you’ve never had beech mushrooms before, they are worth seeking out, and not just because they look cool. When cooked they take on a very nutty, earthy flavor. If you can’t find them, enoki mushrooms would make a good substitute.

Begin by removing the bottom half inch of the mushrooms, and separating them into small clumps.

Black Bean Sauce

Black Bean Tofu is all about this divine sauce. It’s full of so much savory flavor, and as long as you prep all your ingredients before you start, it can be whipped up in the time it takes to steam the tofu in the microwave. Chinese Black Beans are actually fermented soy beans. They add an explosive salty punch to this sauce. If you would like to cut down on the sodium, give them a rinse under running water.

Then I add the liquid ingredients and the sugar.

To thicken the sauce and give it a nice velvety texture, I make a slurry with water and cornstarch. Just pour it in and stir for a couple minutes and the sauce will magically thicken.

Now all that’s left to do is to pour the sauce on top of the tofu, add your garnish, and dig in! Be careful when removing the plastic film from the tofu, steam burns are no fun.

Black Bean Tofu is so quick and satisfying, I have no doubt it’s going to become a regular in your plant based rotation too. Serve it with some other quick veggie dishes- like Funky Spicy Green Beans, Szechuan Cucumbers, and Braised Burdock for an exciting vegan feast, or just enjoy with Coconut Rice for a simple supper.

Let us know what you serve it with by leaving a comment below, and tagging us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

Black Bean Tofu

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: serves 2-3 1x
• Category: small plates
• Cuisine: Chinese

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Ingredients

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For the Tofu:

• 1 package medium firm tofu (about 14 ounces)
• 1 box beech mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine

For the Black Bean Sauce:

• 2 tablespoon neutral oil
• ¼ large onion, finely diced
• 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon dried chile flakes or 2 fresh chiles minced
• 1 Tablespoon fermented black beans
• 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce*
• ½ Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

Garnish:

2 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias

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Instructions

1. Slice the tofu in half lengthwise and then into thin slices, about 1/2 inch thick (12 pieces). Arrange them overlapping slightly on a microwave safe plate that you will use to steam.
2. Cut the bottom ½ inch off of the bottom of the mushrooms and discard. Then break the mushroom into small clumps and arrange on top of the tofu.
3. Drizzle the shaoxing wine over the tofu.
4. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and steam in the microwave for 4-5 minutes until the tofu is hot and the mushrooms are cooked through.
5. While steaming the tofu, make the sauce. Add the oil to a small skillet over medium high heat.
6. Add the onions and saute for 3-4 minutes.
7. Add the ginger, garlic, and chile flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
8. Then add fermented black beans and also sauté for a few seconds.
9. Add oyster sauce, sugar, soy sauce, and water to the saucepan. Stir the sauce and bring it to a simmer.
10. Stir the cornstarch slurry making sure it’s completely smooth. Gradually pour it into the saucepan while stirring to thicken the black bean sauce.
11. Once the tofu is hot, remove the plastic wrap and drain the liquid in the plate. Pour the black bean sauce over the tofu slices.
12. Sprinkle with the scallion and serve immediately

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Notes

*To make this vegan, look for mushroom vegan oyster sauce.

Keywords: plant based, healthy eating, tofu, chinese, black bean sauce