Spicy Fried Rice

This is the perfect dish for using leftovers in the frig, especially rice, and staples in the pantry. This is our take on a street food legend… spicy fried rice!

Our version is based on a wildly popular street food in Bali and throughout Indonesia and Malaysia, Nasi Goreng, which simply means “fried rice”, and it is intensely umami delicious. It is traditionally made with Kecap Manis, a sweet soy sauce, and has a kind of caramel taste. If we don’t have that unique sweet soy, we use either Tamari or Dark Soy with brown sugar, which add that slight molasses flavor we love in Nasi Goreng. And also traditionally, it is served with a sunny side up egg, with the yolk running into the rice. These flavors come together to make a fabulous quick dish, since it uses already cooked and chilled rice, with added chopped shrimp or crab, sausages and shrimp paste. It is also a point of pride to have the fried egg be crispy at the edges, and our version has lots of that. Enjoy!

Ingredients…

4 or 5 cups already cooked Jasmine rice, cooled
4 tablespoons coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
I medium onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 heaping tablespoon ginger, grated
1 entire bunch green onions, (usually 5), chopped
2 tablespoons minced chives
2 red chillies, sliced (Jalapeños, Serranos or Cayenne)
3 eggs, 2 for the rice, one for the fried egg on top
1 cup petite peas
1/2 pound smoked sausage, chopped into small pieces (we like smoked Cajun Andouille sausage for this dish)
1 pound shrimp (or crab), chopped into pieces
2 tablespoons Tamari or dark soy sauce (traditionally Kecap Manis)
1 tablespoon fish sauce (we use Red Boat)
1 tablespoon shrimp paste or oyster sauce
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cooking

Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil or vegetable oil in a large wok or cast iron frying pan until hot. Add the onions and ginger and heat until aromatic and the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to the wok and add in the shrimp paste or oyster sauce, garlic and chills.

Heat for about 1 minute until fragrant, then add in the fish sauce, brown sugar, tamarind and Tamari or dark soy sauce and heat for 2 minutes.

Add the shrimp and the smoked sausage, saute until the shrimp is just firm and opaque.

Now add the rice to the wok and cook on high heat. Keep turning the rice with a spatula until it is just getting crispy but is not sticking to the bottom of the wok.

Once the rice is hot, about 5 minutes, push the rice over to the side of the wok and crack the two eggs into the bottom. As soon as the eggs are milky and before they are scrambled eggs, quickly stir in the rice.

Add the green onions, salt and the peas. Stir until mixed, remove from the heat.

In a small 8 inch pan, fry the third egg sunny side up on high heat, until the edges are singed and the yolk heated and ready to burst.

Serve with chives sprinkled on top, along with the fried egg.