Thai Fried Rice with Green Beans and Basil

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 cups day-old jasmine rice
• 0.5 lbs green beans, cut to 3/4" pieces
• 0.25 cup shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2–3 Thai chilies, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 pinch ground white pepper
• 1–2 large eggs
• 1 oz Thai basil, roughly torn
• lime, cut into wedges
• cucumber, thinly sliced

Method

Day-old rice is non-negotiable: fresh rice releases too much starch and will clump rather than fry. Before you start, break the grains apart with your fingers — they should separate cleanly. This step is crucial because individual grains fry, clumps steam.

Heat 0.5 tbsp oil in a wok or large heavy pan over a high flame until the surface shimmers. Add half the rice and work it constantly with a spatula, breaking up any clusters that form. You're looking for the grains to turn translucent at the edges with a pale golden colour developing on the surface — roughly 2–3 minutes. The heat must stay high or the rice stews; low heat is how fried rice becomes a stodgy paste. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with another 0.5 tbsp oil and the remaining rice.

Keep the wok hot and add 0.5 tbsp fresh oil. Throw in the green beans and leave them untouched for 30–45 seconds — the contact with the pan is what creates the blistering and char you want. Then toss and continue until the skin splits and darkens unevenly. The beans should have give when pressed but retain a slight snap. Add the shallot, scallion, garlic, and chilies, stirring constantly. You're building aromatics|aromatic depth here; the shallot's sweetness and the garlic's bite will perfume the entire dish once the stir-frying|stir-fry releases their oils into the hot metal.

Return the rice to the wok and immediately add the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and white pepper mixture in a thin stream whilst tossing. The soy provides saltiness and depth; the fish sauce adds umami and a savoury note that reads as "more flavourful" without tasting obviously fishy. The sugar balances both. Keep moving the rice for 30 seconds so the seasonings distribute evenly.

Push the rice to the sides, add the remaining 0.5 tbsp oil to the centre, and crack in the eggs. Let them set for 15 seconds, then scramble them hard, breaking them into small curds as they cook. Once mostly set but still slightly wet — 45 seconds total — toss everything together. The residual heat will finish the egg. Fold through the basil, taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve immediately with lime wedges and cucumber slices on the side; the acid cuts the richness.