Khaaw Pad American (or Khao Pad American) literally translates to ‘American Fried Rice’. At first I thought that this was a dish Thai people thought was popular in the US. But recently I heard that this dish was made up by Thai cooks during the Vietnam war era, to give US service men something the Thais thought they’d want to eat while over here in Thailand during breaks. This explanation makes more sense to me. It’s almost like the Thai cooks put all the things they thought of when they thought of American food, and fried them up with rice. And while this isn’t so much ‘Authentic Thai Food’, it’s become a popular dish 40 years later with kids — it’s one of the most popular lunch items at the university where I studied Thai. This recipe was requested by Diane in Brooklyn, NY. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
* 1 cup cooked jasmine rice, a bit dried out
* 1/4 cup chopped onion
* 2 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
* 1/2 tablespoon golden mountain brand soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for egg & hot dogs, 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil for frying rice
* 1 teaspoons butter (yes, really)
* 1/2 tablespoon raisins, soaked in hot water for 2 min and drained



Directions

1. Cook the rice, and dry out a bit, best is mostly covered overnight in the fridge. If you’re going to make it right away, cook with a bit less water than normal, and let air out for 10 minutes or so before cooking
2. Fry the egg in a good amount of oil (about 4 tablespoons) on high heat. The egg should bubble up and sizzle like crazy if the pan is hot enough. The edges should brown and get crunchy too. When browned, remove and set aside.
3. Cut the ends of the hot dogs in an X pattern, up about 1/3 of the way. This will create extra surface area to get crispy when you fry it. (See picture).
4. Fry the hot dogs in the oil, until crispy, set aside with the egg. Dump the remaining oil.
5. Fry the onions in 1 teaspoon of fresh oil on medium high until translucent, then add the butter. When the butter is melted, throw in the rice.
6. Stir well to mix, and fry for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
7. Add the ketchup, golden mountain soy sauce and raisins. Stir well and cook for another minute or two.
8. Put on a plate and top with the fried egg and hot dogs.



Note:

While this dish almost always has a fried egg as a side, the meat 'side' can vary. Usually you see fried hot dogs, fried sausage, fried ham or a fried chicken leg.


Article provided by Cee (www.realthairecipes.com)

Thai Fried Rice with Chicken ( khao pad gai - ข้าวผัดไก่ ) is a very easy dish to make, and a great way to use up leftover rice.



* 1 cup jasmine rice, day old (a bit dry) is best
* 1/4 cup sliced onion
* 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
* 2 tablespoons chopped scallions (both white and green parts)
* 1/3 cup diced tomato
* 1/3 cup small slices of chicken meat
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon white soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon white sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon golden mountain soy sauce *optional
* 1 egg
* 1/8 teaspoon white pepper powder
* garnish with coriander, lime wedge and cucumber slices


Directions

1. Prepare all your ingredients: chop the tomato into medium-sized pieces, slice the onion into thin strips, finely chop the garlic and chop the scallions. Slice the cucumbers and chicken.
2. Heat the oil on high until hot. Add the onion. Stir well and when it’s softened add the garlic. When the garlic is slightly browned add the chicken. Stir well. Keep flipping the chicken until it’s white on all sides.
3. Add the rice and stir well.
4. Push the rice to the side of the pan and add a bit more oil. Crack an egg on the oil and mix in the pan. Let set. When solid, flip the rice on top and mix well.
5. Add the soy sauces, sugar and salt. Turn off heat.
6. Add 1/2 of the scallions and white pepper powder and mix well. Turn onto a plate and garnish with the rest of the scallions, cilantro, a piece of lime and the cucumber slices.
7. Serve with a small bowl of fish sauce with sliced chilies (prik naam plaa).


Note:

You can substitute any meat you want - beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, crab meat, cooked chicken (boiled or baked), ham, hot dogs, Chinese sausages, beef jerky, salted chicken, whatever...be creative

For vegetarians - try veggie meat or fried tofu pieces with the rice, or just leave out all together.

Chinese Broccoli is also good in this dish. Cut into small pieces and add after the meat.


Recipe provided by Cee (www.realthairecipes.com)

1. Prepare all your ingredients: chop the tomato into medium-sized pieces, slice the onion into thin strips, finely chop the garlic and chop the scallions. Slice the cucumbers and chicken.


2. Heat the oil on high until hot. Add the onion. Stir well and when it’s softened add the garlic. When the garlic is slightly browned add the chicken. Stir well. Keep flipping the chicken until it’s white on all sides.


3. Add the rice and stir well.


4. Push the rice to the side of the pan and add a bit more oil. Crack an egg on the oil and mix in the pan. Let set. When solid, flip the rice on top and mix well.


5. Add the soy sauces, sugar and salt. Turn off heat.


6. Add 1/2 of the scallions and white pepper powder and mix well. Turn onto a plate and garnish with the rest of the scallions, cilantro, a piece of lime and the cucumber slices.


7. Serve with a small bowl of fish sauce with sliced chilies (prik naam plaa).

Pad See Ew is a common street-food noodle here in Central Thailand. See Ew is a Southern Chinese word for soy sauce. This dish literally means stir fried soy sauce. In Thailand, it is usually served with thinly sliced pork or chicken and Chinese Broccoli. Rarely do you see other vegetables.




You'll Need

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 cup pork (or chicken), thinly sliced and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup wide rice noodles
1 cup chinese broccoli, cut into 2" long pieces
1 egg
1 teaspoon black soy sauce
1 tablespoons white soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder

Directions

1. Separate the noodles from each other, and place on a plate.
2. Cut the Chinese Broccoli stems at an angle so they cook easier, in about 2″ (5cm) long pieces. Make sure to clean well.
3. Fry the garlic on high in the oil until lightly browned and fragrant.
4. Add the pork (or chicken) and fry until cooked through. Keep stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn.
5. Add the noodles. Keep stirring so they don’t stick.
6. Add the Chinese Broccoli, and mix well. You may need to add a little bit of water so everything cooks & doesn’t stick. Don’t add too much that the noodles get clumpy though. Add around 1 teaspoon at a time.
7. When the Chinese Broccoli is cooked (leaves are wilted and stems are darker green, about 1 minute), add the soy sauces, sugar and white pepper. Mix well.
8. Push the noodles to the side and add a little bit of oil to the pan. Crack the egg into the pan on top of the oil. Scramble in the pan and let sit until solid. Break it up a bit and mix with the noodles.
9. Dish out and serve with soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, chili powder and white pepper so you can flavor to your taste preference at the table.

Note:

If cooking more than one serving, cook them one at a time. If you cook too many noodles in the pan, you'll get a big sticky glob.

The fresher the noodles the better. If you're lucky enough to get fresh wide rice noodles, unrefrigerated, keep them out of the fridge when you get them home and cook them that day. Once refrigerated, they tend to break apart very easy when you cook them.

You can also make pad see ew with thin rice noodles, sometimes called 'rice sticks'. If you're doing that, pre-soak them until softened, about 10-20 minutes, before frying. You may need to add more soy sauces because there is more noodle surface area to cover.

It's important in this dish that the garlic doesn't burn. If it does, it will be bitter and not tasty. If you're a bit unsure how to stir fry, you may want to fry the meat first, so it's cooked, then re-add it to the pan after the garlic is ready.

Recipe provided by Cee (www.realthairecipes.com)

1. The first step is to make the sweet pork (muu waan/???????). Slice the pork thin (1 1/2″ x 1″ x 1/3″) (4cm x 2.5cm x 1cm) - see picture. Fry it in about 1 teaspoon of oil on high heat. Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper, and palm sugar. Cook until it’s no longer raw. Lower the heat to medium low. Keep adding a little water every now and then to keep it from getting to dry and burning. Cook for about 10 minutes until shiny and sticky. Set aside.


2. The next step is to make the egg strips. Crack one egg in a bowl and whisk until mixed. Wet a tissue with oil and wipe the inside of the pan. You don’t want a lot of oil for this one. A non-stick pan comes in handy for this kind of thing. Pour the egg in and tilt the pan so the egg evenly coats the bottom of the pan, about 1/8″ (.25cm) deep. Fry on medium heat until set and golden (not brown). Flip once. Take off heat and allow to cool. Roll the egg and slice thin to create strips. Set aside.


3. Fry the shrimp in oil until crispy, about 30 seconds on medium-high. Strain and set aside.


4. Slice your chilies & shallots thin. Peel the mango’s skin and chop with a knife to make thin strips (or use a cheese grater).


5. Add a little oil (about a teaspoon) into your pan and turn the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is hot, add the rice, shrimp paste and fish sauce. Stir well to mix. Cook until the rice is warmed up and mixed well.


6. This dish is usually served by packing the rice into a bowl, and using it as a mold. Turn it upside-down onto a plate and remove. Then add all the other things around the rice on the plate, with the egg on top of the rice. Garnish with cilantro.


7. When you eat it, mix it all together and squeeze the fresh lime juice on top.