Thai basil fried rice is a delicious preparation made by cooking rice along with basil leaves, assorted vegetables and various asian spices.
The dish is usually made by heating oil in a large wok and stir frying vegetables, steamed rice and other ingredients on high heat in a spicy sauce.
Main ingredients
As the name suggests the dominant flavor of the dish comes from the addition of fresh Thai basil leaves. These are different from Italian basil and have a more sweeter and mintier taste. Since the recipe is heavily reliant on the flavor of Thai basil leaves, other substitutes won’t work well in this recipe.
Thai basil fried rice traditionally contains oyster sauce & fish sauce. For this recipe I have used a combination of soy sauce & a mushroom based vegan oyster sauce. If you can’t find it, you can also use tamari or just a larger quantity of soy sauce.
The dish is meant to be quite spicy and is generally flavored with a generous amount of Thai chillies, ginger, garlic and onion.
To make the dish more wholesome and nutritious, you can add tofu along with any vegetables of your choice like carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, beans etc.
Serving suggestions
Thai basil fried rice is quite flavorful, so it can be served alone or with a Thai curry like vegetarian thai green curry.
To make vegan thai basil fried rice at home follow the detailed step by step recipe with photos posted below.
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Vegan Thai Basil Fried Rice Recipe
Recipe Info
Nutrition
Ingredients For Vegan Thai Basil Fried Rice Recipe
- 4 Cups Rice cooked
- 1/2 Medium Sized Onion
- 2-3 Green Onions
- 1 Carrot (Gajar)
- 1 Cup Colored Capsicum (Green, Red, Yellow Bell Peppers)
- 1/2 Cup Tofu extra firm or firm, diced
- 1/2 Cup Thai Basil Leaves
- 2 Thai Green Chillies
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Inch Piece of Ginger
- 1/2 Tablespoon Vegan Mushroom Oyster Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper Powder (Kali Mirch)
- 1 Teaspoon Salt or to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Cooking Oil
Step By Step Instructions for Vegan Thai Basil Fried Rice Recipe
- Heat some oil in a large wok and add paste of ginger, garlic and green chillies to it. Fry till the garlic just starts turning golden brown.3-4 Garlic Cloves, 1 Inch Piece of Ginger, 2 Thai Green Chillies
- Add thinly sliced onions and chopped green onions to the wok. Cook on high heat for a couple minutes, till the onions start softening slightly.1/2 Medium Sized Onion, 2-3 Green Onions
- Then add diced carrots and colored bell peppers. Fry the vegetables for 3-4 minutes.1 Carrot (Gajar), 1 Cup Colored Capsicum (Green, Red, Yellow Bell Peppers)
- Add vegan oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, black pepper powder and salt.1/2 Tablespoon Vegan Mushroom Oyster Sauce, 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce, 1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar, 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper Powder (Kali Mirch), 1 Teaspoon Salt
- Then add roughly chopped Thai basil leaves. Mix and cook for a couple of minutes.1/2 Cup Thai Basil Leaves
- Add the tofu cubes to the wok. I have lightly shallow fried the tofu before adding, but you can add raw tofu as well.1/2 Cup Tofu
- Add the steamed rice to the wok. It is best to use leftover rice for this recipe. If using freshly cooked rice, let it cool down, preferably for at least 2-3 hours before adding.4 Cups Rice
- Mix the rice with the ingredients and cook on high heat for a couple of minutes.
- Spicy Thai Basil fried rice is ready. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve hot.
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