Fragrant and bursting with flavors, this tom yum fried rice is a must-try! This amazing dish is simple to prepare and ready in 15 minutes.
Have a jar of leftover tom yum paste sitting in your fridge? Use it to make this amazing tom yum fried rice! Packed with flavors, it is savory, spicy, and slightly tangy due to the addition of lime juice. Like my green curry fried rice and kimchi fried rice, this recipe is a great way to use leftover rice.
Although filling on its own, it is great served with other mains! I especially love serving it with stir-fries like my mushroom tofu stir-fry or Szechuan tofu.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Flavor-packed, filling, and incredibly delicious
- Using store-bought paste saves time and effort without compromising on taste
- Easily customizable - feel free to add extra seasonings, protein, or vegetables!
- A delicious way to use up refrigerated rice
🍚What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Rice - I am using brown rice as it is what I have on hand, but Jasmine or basmati rice will also work. Both refrigerated and freshly cooked rice can be used. If using freshly cooked rice, spread it out onto a large plate, and allow to cool completely before using.
- Bird’s eye chilies - Deseed them to make this dish less spicy, or leave them on if you like yours fiery! You can also omit chilies to keep this dish low in spice.
- Kaffir lime leaves - Optional but highly recommended. You can find it in most Asian groceries. Alternatively, you can order kaffir lime leaves online.
- Vegetables - You can use other veggies such as corn kernels, chopped mushrooms, French beans, or frozen vegetable mix.
- Tom yum paste - Use vegan tom yum paste to keep this dish plant-based. You can also make your own following this tom yum paste recipe by Thai Foodie. (Omit fish sauce and shrimp paste to make it vegan).
🔪How to make
Heat some oil in a non-stick pan. Add garlic, chilies, kaffir lime leaves, and tom yum paste. Saute for a minute until fragrant.
Add carrot next, cooking for 2-3 minutes until slightly tender.
Toss in peas and rice. Stir and fry until the ingredients are hot.
Remove from heat, then mix in green onion, soy sauce, and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve and enjoy your tom yum fried rice while warm!
✔Helpful tips
- Using freshly cooked rice – You can use freshly cooked rice to make fried rice. The trick is to spread rice out onto a large plate and allow it to cool completely before using.
- Use a large enough pan or wok – Avoid overcrowding the pan as this will cause ingredients to steam rather than fry, yielding soggy fried rice. A large pan also provides more room for tossing, preventing ingredients from spilling.
- Customize the seasonings – Add a teaspoon of fish sauce (or vegan fish sauce) for extra umami flavor. You can also add other aromatics, such as galangal and lemongrass to enhance the aroma of your fried rice.
- Add a source of protein – Shrimp, diced chicken, or squid are some great choices. Do sear them beforehand. Vegetarian options like pan-fried tofu, seitan, or scrambled eggs will also work.
- Make it less spicy – Feel free to omit the bird’s eye chilies for a milder version of tom yum fried rice.
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🥘How to serve
Although tom yum fried rice is pretty filling, I like pairing it with other dishes for a satisfying and balanced meal. Below are some of my go-to dishes to pair with fried rice -
Sides - Tofu dumplings, vegan wontons, rice paper egg rolls, Asian cucumber salad
Curries - Especially Thai curries like my tofu red curry and vegan yellow curry.
Stir-fries - Pairing tom yum fried rice with protein-packed stir-fries, such as my eggplant tofu stir-fry and peanut tofu, creates a simple yet filling meal.
❄️Storing suggestions
Fridge - Fried rice can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freezer - Portion out tom yum fried rice using freezer bags. They can then be frozen for up to 3 months.
Reheating - Allow frozen fried rice to thaw overnight in the fridge. You can then reheat it in the microwave or on the stove. Add a splash of water if the mixture is too dry.
❔Commonly asked questions
The best alternative for tom yum paste is red curry paste. Although they have slightly different taste profiles, you can use it as a substitute. You might need to add more lime juice and sugar to balance out the savoriness of red curry paste.
Alternatively, you can make your own tom yum paste using ingredients like kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, chilies, onion, and shallot. I recommend checking out this tom yum paste recipe by Thai foodie. Omit shrimp paste and fish sauce in their recipe to keep the recipe vegetarian-friendly.
Tom yum paste is usually moderately spicy as dried chilies is one of the main ingredients. However, the spice level will vary between brands or recipes used.
Note that most tom yum paste is not vegan, as shrimp paste and/or fish sauce are often added. Do turn and read the ingredient label to ensure it contains no animal products.
If you can't find any in-store, you can try buying them from online retailers like Amazon (I Love these Mekhala brand ones ).
As fresh kaffir lime leaves are sometimes hard to get, you can opt to use the dried ones. I recommend rehydrating them in hot water and finely chopping them before using.
Sticky and mushy fried rice is usually caused by adding too much water. To prevent this, use day-old rice or freshly cooked rice that is properly cooled. Cook fried rice in a large pan to avoid overcrowding, which will generate excess steam. Lastly, avoid adding too much liquid seasoning, and season with salt instead of more soy sauce to achieve the desired saltiness.
📖 Recipe
Tom Yum Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 kaffir lime leaves roughly chopped
- 2 Thai red chili sliced
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 3 cup cooked rice refrigerated or freshly cooked (see notes)*
- ½ cup frozen green peas
- 1-2 tablespoon tom yum paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 stalk green onion chopped
- lime juice to serve
Instructions
- Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a cast iron skillet or non-stick pan on medium high heat. Start by sauteing garlic, chili and kaffir lime leaves for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.3 cloves garlic, 2 Thai red chili, 2 kaffir lime leaves
- Add in the carrot next. Cook until they have slightly softened, for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.1 medium carrot
- Now, add in rice, peas and tom yum paste. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until everything is thoroughly heated. Break any clumps of rice by pressing them with the back of your spatula.3 cup cooked rice, ½ cup frozen green peas, 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Stir in soy sauce, chopped green onions, and a squeeze of lime juice. Your tom yum fried rice is ready to be served.1 stalk green onion, lime juice
Notes
- Customize the seasonings – Add a teaspoon of fish sauce (or vegan fish sauce) for extra umami flavor. You can also add other aromatics, such as galangal and lemongrass to enhance the aroma of your fried rice.
- Add a source of protein – Shrimp, diced chicken, or squid are some great choices. Do sear them beforehand. Vegetarian options like pan-fried tofu, seitan, or scrambled eggs will also work.
- Make it less spicy - You can omit the bird’s eye chilies for a milder version of tom yum fried rice.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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