Thai Green Curry Fried Rice- ข้าวผัดแกงเขียวหวาน

Thai Green Curry Fried Rice- ข้าวผัดแกงเขียวหวาน is a delicious and easy recipe that marries two recipes into one robust dish using fried rice and green curry paste. You don’t want to miss out on the flavor explosion of this lesser-known Thai recipe. 

Make your homemade Thai green curry paste using this simple recipe in this blog post. Try this authentic Thai red curry paste, or Prik Khing curry paste, too, if green curry paste is unavailable.

This Thai fried rice recipe traditionally uses tiny round pea eggplants for its distinctive earthy but slightly bitter taste. The bold taste of these eggplants and their crispy seeds adds a nice light and earthy taste to the fried rice when cooked.

For more delicious fried rice recipes, check out this tasty Thai basil fried rice, Authentic Thai pineapple fried rice with shrimp, easy and light vegetarian fried rice recipe, and Thai shrimp fried rice. All are perfect for you fried rice lovers!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Thai fried rice plus green curry equals a delightful fusion of two beloved Thai dishes in one.  
• The green curry paste infuses the fried rice with a burst of authentic Thai green flavors, full of herbs and aromatics, making this dish a healthy recipe!
• It's a versatile and satisfying one-pot meal perfect for any occasion.
• You can customize the level of spiciness to suit your taste.
• It's a great way to use up your leftover green curry paste! When Do you have leftover green curry paste that you don't use immediately? This green curry fried rice recipe offers another delicious Thai food option to cook up quickly. 
• Do you also have some leftover rice you sometimes don't know what to do with? This recipe is perfect for rescuing bland rice into a robust-tasting one! 

What is Thai Green Curry Fried Rice

• Thai Green Curry Fried Rice is a vibrant and fragrant Thai dish that combines the essence of Thai Green Curry and fried rice. Green Curry paste, known for its fresh and herbal flavor, is stir-fried with jasmine rice and aromatic herbs, seasoned with Thai sauces, and is then topped off with the fragrance of Thai basil, kaffir lime leaves. 
• It's not only a delicious recipe, but it's also a healthy meal that satisfies the belly and conscience. It will become your favorite Thai dish in no time at all! 

Ingredients for making Thai green curry fried rice

• Green curry paste: Use less than the recipe requested if you have a store-bought paste. Store-bought pastes tend to be saltier. You may need to add extra sugar to the final dish to help balance the salty flavor. Start with 1 teaspoon of sugar and add more if necessary.
• Protein: My recipe uses pork, but you can use pork, chicken breast or tenderloin, shrimp, tofu, or make it vegetarian with added vegetables. 
• Jasmine rice. Use leftover cooked rice. Long grain White rice can be used as a substitute. Brown rice works, too, if you prefer it. 
• Thai eggplants. Find these in the Asian market. They are round green eggplants the size of an oversized golf ball.
• Onion. Use sweet or yellow onion. 
• Thai basil. Look for Thai basil with purple stems sold at your local Asian markets. Italian basil will work but double up on the portion specified in the recipe card to get the strong, bold flavors of the aromatic Thai basil. 
• Kaffir lime leaves: The leaves add a distinctive taste to the recipe. Don’t skip it if possible. Check with your local Asian market. You can read up more on kaffir lime leaves here. Kaffir lime leaves and substitute.
• Ground white pepper. Use whole green peppercorns if you can find them. They are also sold as pickled peppers in a jar. Add 2-4 stems for added heat. Optional
• Sugar. Use white, brown monk fruit or coconut sugar. 
• Garlic. Add more garlic if you prefer. This recipe can handle it. 
• Eggs. The eggs add a nice creamy flavor that helps buffer the fiery green curry paste. 
• Oil. Use high smoking point oil like coconut, canola, avocado, or vegetable oil. Olive or sesame oil is not recommended.

Sauces for making authentic Thai green fried rice

Below is the specific brand of sauces that I use for my Thai green curry fried rice. You can find these at your local Asian markets. 

• Fish sauce. It adds a lovely umami flavor. Use any brand available to you. 
• Seasoning sauce. Maggi seasoning sauce, Tamari, coconut aminos, or soy sauce can be a substitute. Read more about sauces for Thai cooking here. 
• Oyster sauce. Use a Thai brand, if possible, like Mae Krua oyster sauce. 
• Rice wine vinegar. Fresh lemon or lime juice, apple cider vinegar can be substituted.

How to make Thai green curry fried rice

I used my own homemade green curry paste for this recipe. You can use a store-bought paste if you can't find all the ingredients to make your own paste. Mae Ploy is a brand I suggest for this recipe. Please note that store-bought pastes tend to be saltier and spicier too. Adjust the paste, sugar, and fish sauce as necessary. 

Step 1. Mix the sauces in a small bowl by combining oyster sauce, seasoning sauce, fish sauce,  rice vinegar, sugar, and white pepper. Set aside.

Step 2. Heat the oil in a wok or large sauté pan at medium-high heat, add eggs, and scramble into omelets. Leave in large pieces. Remove from wok. Set aside.

Step 3. Add the rest of the oil to the wok, add garlic, and cook for a few seconds. Add the curry paste. Stir until fragrant.

Step 4. Add the pork and cook until lightly browned. About 4-5 minutes.

Step 5. Add onion, eggplants, and kaffir leaves. Stir together well. Cook until the vegetables are slightly tender. (2-3 minutes)

Step 6. Add rice, break up the rice grains if they are clumping together. Stir well. 

Step 7. Add sauces, stir well, and cook for 2 more minutes. Helpful notes* Spread the rice evenly on the wok/skillet surface to let the moisture from the food escape. This will allow the fried rice to be drier than the mushy rice.

Step 8. Add the Thai basil, and stir in well. Turn the heat off and let the residual heat wilt/cook the basil leaves. Carefully taste the fried rice, and adjust with more sugar, fish sauce, or seasoning sauce as needed. Serve immediately. Garnish with your favorite ingredients suggested below. Enjoy!

Garnishing options

For added freshness, garnish your Thai Green Curry Fried Rice with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice before serving. 

Sliced green onion, fresh basil, lime wedges, julienned kaffir lime leaves, cilantro, chopped red peppers, or sliced red bell pepper for a less spicy version. 

Helpful Kitchen notes for your fried rice

• Rice: Use day-old Jasmine rice. That means using rice cooked the day before so there's less moisture in it, so when stir-frying, it's less likely to get mushy. If you cannot cook your rice the day before, try this. Use less water when cooking the jasmine rice. Once the rice is cooked, spread it out on a big platter-like baking sheet for an hour before using it to stirfry. 
• Eggs: Traditional recipes tend not to use eggs, but the eggs help absorb the spicy flavor of the green curry paste. The eggs also add a meatier and creamier taste that balances the strong curry paste nicely.
• Coconut milk. Some recipes call for coconut milk, which makes sense since Thai green curry uses coconut milk. However, I find that using coconut milk makes my fried rice mushy. Playing around with different combinations of ingredients, I can come up with a flavorful and authentic green curry fried rice that I love. And it's fewer calories! So, I'll save the coconut milk for my curries instead. 
• Green curry paste. Adjust the spiciness by adding more or less Thai Green Curry paste to suit your taste.
• For the best results, use cooled leftover rice, which fries better and is less likely to become mushy.
• Customize the vegetables according to your preference and seasonal availability.
• Add protein sources like chicken, shrimp, or tofu to complete the meal.

What to Serve With Thai Green Curry Fried Rice

Thai Green Curry Fried Rice is a satisfying meal, but you can serve it alongside fresh cucumber slices or a tangy green papaya salad to add contrasting textures and flavors.

Variations

• To cater to various dietary preferences, experiment with different protein options, such as pork, chicken, chicken shrimp, crab meat, seafood, or tofu.
• Add Green peas, bamboo shoots, pea pods, broccoli, carrot, and asparagus for vegetable options. Chop everything small. 
• These vegetables are a great substitute: sweet or snap snow pea pods, purple eggplants, baby corn, asparagus, broccolini, or broccoli stems. Chop them into small pieces.  
• Create a vegan version by omitting the fish sauce and using a plant-based alternative.

Substitutes

• If you don't have Thai green curry paste, use Thai red curry paste or your favorite curry paste for a unique twist. Make your own Thai red curry paste using this recipe.
• Vegetable substitutes: if you can’t find Thai eggplants, use regular Italian eggplants instead. Remove the skin and chop it up into small pieces if using eggplants from your Western grocery store.  

Storage

Thai Green Curry Fried Rice is best enjoyed fresh, but any leftovers are still amazing the next day!  Store your extra rice in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Thai Recipes You'll love

• Authentic red curry paste
• 5-minute Thai peanut sauce
• Easy green curry recipe 
• Tom Tum fried rice using turkey meat
• Pineapple fried rice with shrimp
• Thai Rice. The different types of rice in Thai cooking.
• Sauces in Thai cooking. Learn about the essential sauces you'll need for Thai cooking.

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