Vegan/Jain Thai Basil Fried Rice
This summer we bought Thai basil plants from a nursey in NJ. It was a great purchase, as the plants flourished. I’ve been incorporating Thai basil in salads, noodles, and rice and the flavor is just wonderful.
Fresh Thai Basil reminds me of my trip to Thailand. I took a vegetarian Thai cooking class (see pictures below) and it was so fun. We each got our own individual cooking stations and the instructor had all the ingredients already laid out. We made Pad Thai, green curry, Massaman curry, and mango sticky rice. Fresh lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and Thai basil are ingredients that really make dishes have the wonderful Thai flavor. If you have access to an Asian market, make sure to buy these ingredients and add it to the recipe below.
Vegan Thai Basil Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 5 cups chopped veggies
- 4 cups cooked basmati rice
- 1 cup Nutrela mini soy chunks
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp ginger or galangal
- 2 tbsp Sambal oelek paste if you don't have, you can replace with any chili paste, such as Sriracha
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp asafoetida also known as hing
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp salt or soy sauce you may need to add more depending on your taste.
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 cup chopped Thai basil
Instructions
- To Nutrela soy chunks, add 1 cup of boiling water, lemon juice, soy sauce, and cover it. Set it aside for 3-4 hours until the Nutrela is soft and swishy.
- Warm sesame oil in a frying pan. Once oil is warm, add in cumin seeds until they start crackling. Then, quickly add in ginger, asafoetida, and sambal oelek paste. Cover with a lid.
- Add the veggies.
- Add the soften Nutrela mini soy chunks.
- Add in cumin powder and salt.
- Mix thoroughly and let it cook until veggies are tender.
- Add in cooked rice and mix.
- Before serving, add in the chopped Thai basil and 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil.
- Say a prayer of gratitude and enjoy!