Scrambled tofu and crunchy veggies, a kick of lemon, and the aroma of fresh Thai basil – That’s a delicious lunch or dinner recipe which gets ready in no time and tastes amazing.
It is a simple meal but looks like you are having a party at home – A Thai Party 🙂 It is perfect for the days when you want restaurant-like food but doesn’t want to go to any restaurant (or order anything). Generally, Thai Basil Rice is made with chicken or shrimp. But we are going to make the vegetarian or vegan version of it. This is the recipe made of scrambled tofu and some crunchy veggies, all coated in a flavorful sauce.
If you like Asian recipes like us, you must check out Pad Thai Noodles, Kung Pao Tofu, Vegan Tom Kha Gai Soup.
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Which rice is used in Thai Basil Rice?
Generally, Thai Basil Rice is made with cooked Jasmine Rice. But since we use basmati rice, we made the recipe using the same.
How to cook rice for Fried Rice?
The rice for fried rice has to be non-sticky and non-mushy. Only then you get the right taste and texture in fried rice. It is always better to use the leftover rice to make the fried rice. But if you don’t have that, don’t worry. I prefer to cook rice in a pan with a lot of water and once the rice is cooked, I drain out the water. I don’t cook rice in a pressure cooker because it becomes a little sticky.
To cook rice in a pan:
- Boil water and add salt to it.
- Add rice and cook well. Keep an eye to not over-cook. Keep stirring in between.
- Once the rice is cooked, drain off the excess water and spread the rice on a plate to cool it completely. Brush some oil, if needed.
If you want the rice grains to be separated, add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice to the water. That helps in making non-sticky and non-mushy rice.
Easy Swaps
- Veggies: Use any veggie of your choice – mushrooms, bell peppers, snow peas, broccoli, etc.
- Sesame Oil: Use any cooking oil instead.
- Red Thai Chilli: If you can’t find that, use any spicy chili that you have.
Is this recipe Vegan?
Yes. This Thai Basil Rice recipe is totally plant-based and vegan. Generally, it is made with chicken, eggs, or shrimp. Even for the sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce are ideally used. But we made it 100% plant-based and used tofu instead. For the sauce, we used Hoisin sauce for that nice umami flavor.
Must-Try Asian Recipes
Now grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make this Thai Basil Rice at home. It is perfect for lunch or dinner. In fact, you can also make it over the weekend and have a little party at home. What do you say? If you try this recipe & like it too, please share the photo on Instagram and tag us @marriedfriends. We just love to see your recreation of our recipes.
Happy Cooking 🙂
Love from us
Richa & Jatin
Vegan Thai Basil Rice – Ready in 15 Minutes.
One-Pot Vegan Thai Delicacy
Servings
Prep Time
Cook Time
Rest Time
Ingredients
- 200 g Tofu scrambled
- 1/2 cup Red Capsicum cubed
- 1/2 cup French Green Beans cut into bigger pieces
- 1 Onion (medium) chopped
- 1/2 cup Spring Onion Greens chopped
- 1 cup Fresh Basil Leaves
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 cup Cooked Rice
- 4 clove Garlic
- 1-Inch Piece Ginger grated
- 3 to 4 Red Thai Chilli (or to taste)
Sauce
- 3 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
- 2 tsp Brown Sugar
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper freshly ground
Other
- A Few Cucumber Slices as a side salad
- A Few Lemon Wedges
- Homemade Chilli Oil (optional) as needed
Steps
- In a bowl, mix together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and pepper. Keep it aside.
- In a mortar pestle, add garlic, ginger, and red Thai chili. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pound until you get a nice crushed paste. Keep it aside.
- Heat some oil in a pan and add onion and our prepared crushed paste. Saute for a minute.
- Add scrambled tofu and saute until slightly brown and crispy.
- Add bell peppers and French green beans. Mix well and cook for a minute or two. Do not overcook. Keep the veggies crunchy.
- Once veggies are cooked enough, add the prepared sauce and mix it well.
- Add cooked rice and mix. Combine everything well. Add salt if needed.
- Switch off the flame and add spring onion greens and Fresh Basil leaves. Mix well and serve right away.
- Serve with some cucumber slices on the side. Squeeze some lemon juice and add a little bit of homemade chili oil, if needed. Enjoy your happy meal :)
Cucumber balances the heat and chilliness of the recipe.
FAQs
- Boil water and add salt to it.
- Add rice and cook well. Keep an eye to not over-cook. Keep stirring in between.
- Once the rice is cooked, drain off the excess water and spread the rice on a plate to cool it completely. Brush some oil, if needed.
Generally, Thai Basil Rice is made with cooked Jasmine Rice. But since we use basmati rice, we made the recipe using the same.
Thai Basil Rice is ideally made with the holy basil. That is quite popular and widely available in Thailand. It has a spicy, peppery, clove-like flavor. But, if you can’t find that, do not stress out. Use sweet Thai Basil or Italian Basil for the recipe.
Both of these rice recipes taste absolutely different. In fried rice, different veggies like cabbage, carrots, and beans are sauteed and dark soy sauce and vinegar are used as the seasoning ingredients. But in Thai Basil Rice, apart from the soy sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce are also used. And for that additional burst of herb flavor, Thai basil is added. Since, we make the vegan or vegetarian version of the same, we use Hoisin sauce for that extra umami flavor.
Thai Basil Rice is known as Pad Kaprao in Thailand. It means stir-fried holy basil.