Will Any Char Siu Recipe Work?

Yes. The recipe I show you here is the closest to what a Thai street vendor would make, and it is also a bit simpler. But if you already have your own trusted char siu recipe, or you've made my super popular authentic Cantonese style char siu recipe, each will work just as well. All of these styles have the same flavour profile, just slightly different ingredients.

Choosing Pork for Kao Moo Dang

Chinese style char siu typically uses port butt or pork shoulder, which works fine for this, however the Thai style is leaner and we like to use pork loin. This works because there's gravy to keep the dish moist even though the meat is lean.

Buy a pork loin roast (pic shown in the video), then cut it lengthwise with the grain into long strips about 2"x1" in diameter. Try to cut it in such a way that each piece has a bit of fat on it, because this fat will help keep everything moist and tender.

If you can, get the fatty end. When I went to get my pork from the specialty butcher, he was cutting my roast from a whole piece and asked if I wanted the "lean and pretty end" or the "fatty end". Turns out the two sides of a pork loin are different! Either will work depending on whether you like fatty or lean meat, but it's nice to have the option! I got the fatty end, naturally.

How about pork chops? If you can't find pork loin roast, pork chops will work but you want to make sure they are at least 1-inch thick. The pork needs time to brown and char slightly without overcooking the inside.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe and important notes about them. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

Thai-Style BBQ Pork (Moo Dang)

• Pork loin roast, you can also use tenderloin if you prefer that.
• Soy sauce
• Golden Mountain Sauce. This is a type of soy sauce with a different flavour. You can also use Maggi Seasoning which has a similar flavour, or simply sub more soy sauce.
• Black soy sauce. This is added for a dark, rich colour. You can sub Chinese dark soy sauce, but because it is saltier you should reduce the amount of regular soy sauce slightly.
• Five spice powder, store bought or see my homemade recipe
• Honey
• Toasted sesame oil
• Garlic
• Ground white pepper
• Red food colouring (optional). In Thailand the pork is typically dyed bright red. If you're not going for the classic look, it can be omitted.

Gravy:

• Pork or chicken stock, unsalted or low sodium. See my homemade pork stock recipe here.
• Pork marinade from above
• White sesame seeds, toasted
• Tao jiew fermented soybean paste. This is basically the Thai version of miso, but it is runnier and comes in a glass bottle. You can substitute equal amount doenjang or miso.
• Chopped palm sugar or light brown sugar
• Black soy sauce (optional) to adjust colour as needed. Chinese dark soy can also be used.
• Cornstarch or tapioca starch to thicken the gravy.

Dark Soy Chili Vinegar (optional):

This is a condiment typically served with kao moo dang, it adds bright spicy acidity which works nicely with the dish. But it is optional as not everyone uses it.

• Sweet soy sauce or packed brown sugar
• White vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Thai black soy sauce or sub Chinese dark soy sauce and omit the regular soy sauce
• Chopped chilies, to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Here are some ingredients you may not have and how to substitute. You can also watch my video where I explain all the different sauces used in Thai cooking.

• Thai seasoning sauce (Golden Mountain Sauce is a brand most commonly available). This is a type of soy sauce with a different flavour from our regular soy sauce. Maggi Seasoning or Bragg's Liquid Amino will work fine.
• Tao Jiew or Thai fermented soybean paste. This is the Thai version of miso, except the consistency is runny and the soybeans are whole. It's very salty and comes in a glass jar; typically Healthy Boy Brand is the one most commonly available. You can substitute Japanese miso paste or Korean doenjang paste although they do taste slightly different; use them in equal amounts.
• Five Spice Powder is a Chinese blend of spices that is absolutely key to the identity of this dish and is not substitutable. You can buy it, but if you have a lot of spices in your cabinet you can probably just make it. It's as simple as blitzing them in a coffee grinder. I prefer to make it from whole spices because the flavours are so much fresher than pre-ground spices. Check out my recipe for homemade five-spice powder here.
• Thai black soy sauce is what we use to add dark, delicious-looking colour to various dishes like pad see ew. It's not very salty and has a molasses-y, slightly sweet flavour. You can substitute Chinese dark soy sauce, but because the Chinese one is much saltier, you have to be careful how much you add, and you may need to reduce the amount of the regular soy sauce a bit. You can also omit it altogether if you don't care about the colour.
• Sweet soy sauce. Think brown sugar syrup + soy sauce. Indonesian sweet soy sauce will work just as well as the Thai one. As the name suggests it is mostly sweet and is very thick. In this case you can use dark brown sugar instead.

How to Make Chinese BBQ Pork & Rice (Kao Moo Dang)

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

1. Cut pork loin into long strips, about 1" x 2" wide (see video to get a better idea of what this looks like). You can then cut each strip in half if you wish.
2. Place them in a large zip-top bag or a dish that's just big enough to contain the pork in one, even layer.
3. Combine all marinade ingredients together and stir to dissolve the honey then pour over the pork, mixing well to ensure all surfaces of the pork are coated.
4. Marinade for 24 - 48 hours, flipping the bag or turning the pork over half-way through to ensure even marinating.
5. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with the rack set in the middle. Allow it to preheat for at least 30 mins.
6. While the oven preheats, pull the pork from the fridge so that it has time to come to room temp a bit before roasting. Also now is a good time to get the rice going and prep any other garnishes you're serving. 
7. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and put a rack on it. Remove the pork strips from the marinade (don't throw away the marinade!), shaking off as much excess as possible, and place them on the roasting rack. If your pork is quite lean, it's a good idea to brush with some vegetable oil.
8. Roast for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 155°F for well-done but still juicy pork. If you want medium doneness, pull them at 145°F. 
9. While the pork is roasting, make the gravy: In a small pot, add the stock and the pork marinade and bring to a boil. 
10. While you wait for it to boil, in a mortar and pestle crush the toasted white sesame seeds briefly just until they're broken but still look mostly whole. You should be able to smell the aroma once they're sufficiently broken. Remove from the mortar.
11. Add the Thai fermented soybean paste to the mortar and crush until there are no more chunks of soybeans; if using doenjang or miso you don't need to do this. 
12. Once the stock is boiling there will be a lot of congealed scum floating on top; this is just cooked pork juice, and you can skim it off with a fine mesh skimmer and discard.
13. Add the tao jiew, white sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon of the palm sugar, and just enough of the black or dark soy sauce to get a nice rich brown colour (if using Chinese dark soy sauce, add a little at a time as it can become too salty.)  Allow the gravy to simmer gently for about 5 minutes then taste and adjust seasoning with more soy sauce or sugar as needed. 
14. Mix the cornstarch with a splash of water and stir to dissolve, then pour the slurry into the gravy while stirring. Bring the gravy to a boil, stirring constantly, until it's thickened.

For the dark soy chili vinegar

1. Combine all ingredients together and stir. This can be made well in advance and any leftovers will last in the fridge for several weeks. 

Assembly:

1. Once the pork is done, allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. The pork can even be served room temp if the gravy and rice are hot. 
2. While the pork rests, slice the cucumber, cut the boiled eggs in half, and prep any other sides you're serving.
3. Slice pork into thin pieces and place on top of the hot rice, ladle some gravy on top and serve with the eggs, cucumber slices, and Chinese sausages, if using.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

1. In a mortar and pestle, pound the lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, and Thai chilies until fine.
2. Stir in all remaining tom yum paste ingredients.
3. Make fried eggs, if you wish. For Thai style fried eggs use plenty of oil and add the egg while the oil is very hot so you get browned crispy edges. You can fry eggs in the same wok you'll use to cook the rice, but if making many fried eggs it's best to use a skillet so you can fry multiple eggs at once.
4. In a wok, add enough oil to coat the bottom and sear the shrimp until they're halfway cooked. Flip and sear the other side until fully cooked. Remove from the wok.

5. In the same wok over high heat, add more oil if needed, then add onion and saute until translucent. Add Chinese broccoli and toss briefly until the leaves are wilted slightly and turn bright green.
6. Add the rice and toss briefly to mix with the veggies, then pour the sauce over and toss until all grains are coated evenly in the sauce and the rice is dry.
7. Add the tomato and cooked shrimp, toss briefly just to mix, then turn off the heat and stir in green onions and/or cilantro.
8. Plate the fried rice, sprinkle with more green onion and/or cilantro if desired, and top with fried egg.

Recipe Card

Thai Tom Yum Fried Rice

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: Serves 2

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Description

The beloved flavours of Thai tom yum soup infused into this satisfying fried rice and topped with a fried egg!

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Ingredients

Tom Yum Paste

• 3 slices galangal, chopped
• 3 inches lemongrass, thinly sliced (use bottom half of the stalk only)
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, center rib removed, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp Thai chili paste, store-bought or make your own
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• Thai chilies, to taste
• 2 Tbsp lime juice

The Fried Rice

• 2 eggs 
• 10 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ¼ cup diced onion
• 2 stalks Chinese broccoli, stems thinly sliced, leaves roughly chopped
• 300 g cooked rice (1¾ cup) (see note)
• 1 tomato, seeds removed, bite-sized pieces
• 1 green onion, chopped
• A few sprigs chopped cilantro

Note: This fried rice has quite a lot of liquid in the sauce, so it's very important that your rice is quite dry to begin with, otherwise you might have mushy fried rice. Day-old, refrigerated rice works well (as long as it wasn't too soft), but if you're making rice specifically for this dish, follow the tips in my Pineapple Fried Rice video (@4:00)

Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use

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Instructions

To make the tom yum paste: In a mortar and pestle, pound together lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and Thai chilies until fine. Stir in all remaining tom yum paste ingredients. Alternatively, you can add all ingredient into a blender and blend until smooth.

To make Thai-style fried egg: Add about 1 cm of vegetable oil into a wok or a small frying pan. Heat the oil over medium high heat until very hot but not smoking. Crack the egg into the oil, then lower the heat to medium. If the oil is hot enough, the egg white should bubble excitedly right away. Let the egg fry for about 1:30 minutes or until the edges are browned. If you don't like your yolk runny, turn the heat down to medium low after adding the egg so the yolk has time to set without the white burning. If the egg sticks to the bottom of the pan, let it fry for a minute until the bottom of the yolk firms up before gently nudging it off with a thin spatula. Reserve the oil for another use. 

To make the fried rice: In a wok or a large sauté pan, add just enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom (you can use the oil from frying the egg) and heat over medium high heat until hot. Add the shrimp and sear until browned on one side; flip and brown the other side until done. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add a little more oil if needed, then add onion and saute until translucent. Add Chinese broccoli and toss briefly until the leaves turn bright green. Add the rice and toss until most lumps are broken up. Pour the sauce over rice and toss until all grains are coated evenly in the sauce and the rice is dry. Add the tomato and cooked shrimp, toss briefly just to heat them up. Remove from heat and stir in green onions.

Plate the fried rice, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and top with fried egg. Enjoy!

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But first, what is sticky rice?

Before you cook, let's make sure you buy the right rice to begin with! Sticky rice, also called sweet rice or glutinous rice, is much chewier and denser than your average white rice. It's an ultra satisfying texture, and we love to pair it with meats such as our grilled steak or BBQ chicken, and use it in desserts such as the famous mango sticky rice.

In Thailand, we use long grain sticky rice which we call khao niew. At the store, it can be labeled as "sweet rice" or "glutinous rice," but to make sure it's the right one, check that it is a product of Thailand. Short grain sticky rice is also available, but it is used in China and Japan, not in Southeast Asia. In this article, I'm discussing how to cook long grain sticky rice, and while in theory you can apply the same methods to short grain sticky rice, I have not personally tried them.

Note that sticky rice is NOT sushi rice. Yes, sushi rice is sticky, and some people confuse the two, but they are very different. When shopping, you should look for grains that are opaque, bright white, and not translucent.

Why Cooking Sticky Rice is (a bit) Tricky

Why are there so many ways to cook sticky rice, and why are none of them just...throwing rice into a pot of water like you do with any other kind of rice? Well, it's because Thai sticky rice is a little bit...sensitive.

Trust me, if you could cook it like regular rice the whole nation of Thailand wouldn't do it any other way. Sticky rice can't absorb much water, which is why it's so dense and chewy, and it is not forgiving at all if you add even a bit too much. So, cooking it in an amount of water that you just eyeballed will not yield good results.

So the wise people of the past discovered that if you soak the rice in water for at least 3 hours until it is completely saturated, and then steam it OUT of water, there is no chance that it can overcook. Brilliant, right?

But not all of us have the time or the equipment to do it traditionally, so here's my roundup of all the ways that I know of that you can cook sticky rice, along with the pros and cons of each method.

The 7 Ways to Cook Sticky Rice

The 7 methods can be divided into 2 categories: soak and steam, and no soak. And under the soak-and-steam methods, you can either do a cold soak or a hot soak. Usually, the results are better using the soak-and-steam methods for the reasons I described above, but if you're short on time, the no soak methods will do in a pinch, but some precision is required.

But first, you need to wash the rice.

Doesn't matter which method you're using, you need to wash the rice! This gets rid of excess loose starch leftover from the milling process, and it will prevent your rice from becoming gummy.

1. Swish the rice around vigorously in room temperature water, then pour off most of the cloudy water.
2. Repeat the washing a few more times until the water runs mostly clear.

Methods 1-4: Soak-and-Steam Sticky Rice

These first 4 methods all require 2 major steps: soaking the rice, and then steaming the rice. But each method requires different equipment, so there should be something for everyone here!

1. Bamboo Cone Steamer

This is THE traditional method. If you go to a rural village in northeastern Thailand, this is how they make sticky rice! It is absolutely fail proof, and yields perfect rice every time. It also works with a small or large amount of rice.

The tool we're using here is a bamboo cone steamer set called huad. It's comprised of 2 parts, the bottom pot for water, and the cone-shaped bamboo steamer that sits on top.

1. After washing the rice (see above), soak the rice in plenty of room temperature water for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably 4 and up to 12 hours, and then drain well.
2. Fill the pot with no more than 2 inches of water and bring to a boil over high heat, meanwhile soak the bamboo steamer in water otherwise the rice will stick to a dry steamer.
3. Place the drained rice inside the steamer. Handle soaked rice carefully as they are brittle.
4. Once the water is boiling, place the steamer on top of the pot and cover with any lid that will fit (any old pot lid is fine). Steam for 15 minutes.
5. After 15 minutes, flip the rice ball so the top is facing down by tossing the steamer (see the video tutorial for how to do this). Then continue to steam for another 10 minutes.

2. Steamer Rack

If you have a basic steamer rack that sits above a pot, such as a dim sum bamboo steamer, this method will work for you. This method is also popular with Thai people and yields great results.

1. After washing the rice (see above), soak the rice in plenty of room temperature water for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably 4 and up to 12 hours, and then drain well.
2. Wet a muslin or thin tea towel and squeeze out as much water from it as possible. You want it damp, not wet. Line your steamer rack with the muslin.
3. Place the soaked rice in the steamer and clear a hole in the middle. This eliminates any "thick part" and the rice will cook faster.
4. Fold the edges of the muslin up to cover the rice, making sure there is space around the rice for the steam to come up.
5. Cover and steam over boiling water for 20-30 minutes until cooked through (longer time if making a large batch).

3. Metal Sieve

I learned this method from my cousin who lived in Alabama where she didn't have access to much Asian cooking supplies. It's such a useful method because it doesn't require any special equipment, and the result is nearly as good as a bamboo steamer!

You do need to have a METAL sieve that has a similar diameter to a pot so you can set it on top of the pot. Make sure there's enough space at the bottom so the water will not touch the bottom of the rice.

1. After washing the rice (see above), soak the rice in plenty of room temperature water for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably 4 and up to 12 hours, and then drain well.
2. Place the sieve on top of the pot, then fill it with 1-2 inches of water, making sure there is at least 1 inch of space between the water and the bottom of the sieve. Remove the sieve and bring the water to a boil.
3. Place the soaked rice into the sieve but do not fill it completely or you will block the steam! You need some space at the top so steam can come up and surround the rice. Use your finger to clear a hole or an indentation in the middle of the rice to eliminate the "thick part" so the rice will cook faster.
4. Once the water is boiling, place the sieve over the pot and cover with a lid. Steam for 20-30 minutes until cooked through (longer time if making a large batch).

Tip: You can use this set up to steam vegetables or anything else as well!

4. The Hot Soak

This is officially my favourite method because it's fast, and it yields a great result. The rice made using the hot soak method will be slightly softer than the cold soak BUT this is actually an asset because the extra moisture will keep it soft after it's cooled down to room temp, unlike cold soak sticky rice which quickly turns dry and hard once it's cooled down.

There are some minor cons to this method, most importantly you do need to be precise with soaking time, and adjustments may be needed if making a large batch. I write more about this method in detail in this post: hot soak sticky rice.

1. After washing the rice, place it into a heatproof bowl. Cover it with hot-off-the-boil water so the water comes up ½-1 inch above the rice. Give the rice a stir to break up any lumps and let it soak for 20 minutes and NO MORE.
2. Meanwhile, get your steamer setup ready. You can use any of the steaming set up from methods 1-3 above: the cone steamer, regular steamer rack, or the sieve.
3. Drain the rice, and rinse it with cold tap water to remove excess starch that has come out during the soaking.
4. Now the rice is ready to be steamed using any of the methods above.

Methods 5-7: No-Soak Sticky Rice

I'm going to be frank here, no-soak methods are shortcuts for when you need sticky rice but didn't plan ahead. They are not the ideal ways to cook sticky rice because the resulting rice texture is generally not as good (except for method #6, maybe) and because you have to be very precise with the amount of water. But, it's still better than NO sticky rice, so I'll take it :).

*As with all other methods, you will need to wash the rice as mentioned above.

5. Steam The Bowl

With this method, you put the rice and the water together in a bowl, then steam the bowl in any kind of steamer set up you have. This allows the rice to cook gently, and with no risk of burning the bottom so you do not have to be precise with timing.

1. Drain the washed rice very well, making sure there is absolutely no water left. Place it into a heatproof bowl.
2. Add water at a ratio of 1 part rice to ⅔ parts water. So for every 1 cup of rice, add ⅔ cups of water OR for 1 ½ cups of rice add 1 cup of water. Measure this, do not eyeball. Stir to break up any clusters of rice.
3. Cover the bowl with a plate or foil to prevent condensation from dripping into the rice, and steam the bowl over rapidly boiling water for about 30 minutes. You will need more time if making a larger amount.
4. Remove the rice from the steamer, check that all water has been absorbed, if not, put it back and steam longer.

Tips: If you find that the rice came out too soft, add less water next time. Different brands of rice may require slightly different amount of water.

6. Rice Cooker (maybe)

This method is a "maybe" because it doesn't work with all rice cookers, but when it works, it is awesome, and the result can be almost as good as rice cooked the traditional way. What you need your rice cooker to do is cook the sticky rice gently and slowly. So if your rice cooker normally boils the heck out of your rice, it'll likely not work for sticky rice.

If you've got a multi-function rice cooker, such as the Zojirushi, with a "sweet" rice function. That is the function made specifically for sticky rice. Congratulations!

I've also had success with a cheap, simple 1-button rice cooker that is super weak, so it cooks rice slowly and gently, which is perfect for sticky rice! If you have a "brown rice" function, it may be worth a try as brown rice function tends to cook more slowly too.

1. Wash the rice as per usual and drain very well. Place the rice into the rice cooker pot.
2. Add water at a ratio of 1 part rice to ⅔ parts water. So for every 1 cup of rice, add ⅔ cups of water OR for 1½ cups of rice add 1 cup of water. Measure this, do not eyeball. Stir to break up any clusters of rice. (If you're using the measuring cup that comes with the rice cooker, you can try using the line for "sweet rice" in the pot which follows roughly the same ratio, and adjust as needed next time.)
3. Cook the rice using the "sweet" mode and let the rice cooker do its thing!

NOTE: I have found that for the Zojirushi rice cooker, this function does not work as well with larger amounts of sticky rice (3+ cups). The result was a little more uneven than when I made 1-2 cups of rice, but it was still okay.

7. Microwave

Yes you CAN do it in the microwave, though it wouldn't be my go-to if I have other options available to me. It is the most finicky and the least hands-off of all the methods. But when you're in a dorm room and desperate for sticky rice, it'll do the trick!

After a few practice batches and fine-tuning to match your microwave and the amount of rice you typically cook, the result can be surprisingly decent.

IMPORTANT: As every microwave is different, treat the instructions below as a guideline. Also, the more rice you make, the longer it will take to cook. The timing below is based on 1 cup (240 ml) of sticky rice. You may need to adjust the timing, but the idea is that you want to microwave it in bursts, gradually decreasing in duration, and stir it in between for even cooking.

1. Place the washed and drained rice into a heatproof bowl.
2. Pour hot off-the-boil water over the rice so it comes up about ½ inch over the rice. Give it a stir to break up any lumps and soak for 15 minutes.
3. Drain off the soaking water and rinse off excess starch with cold tap water. Drain the rice very, very well, then place it into a round glass or ceramic bowl. 
4. Add cold water to the rice at the ratio of 1 part rice to ½ parts water, the water should come up approximately to the level of the rice.
5. Cover the bowl with a glass or ceramic plate and microwave on full power for 3 minutes. Take it out (carefully), stir the rice by flipping the bottom up to the top and the edges into the middle to evenly distribute the heating.
6. Cover and microwave again for another 2 minutes, then repeat the stirring. Then microwave for another 2 minutes and, at this point, all the water should be absorbed and the rice is should be mostly cooked with perhaps some grains still slightly undercooked (uncooked sticky rice will be opaque white in the middle). Give it a final stir then cover and rest for at least 5 minutes, and it should all be cooked through and ready to serve.*If after resting the rice is still undercooked, stir in 1-2 tablespoon (15-30 ml) water and microwave again for another minute or so and repeat the resting process.

*The instructions here are slightly different from one in the video as I have made some adjustments.

How to Store and Reheat Sticky Rice

Short term storage in the fridge: Cooked sticky rice will last in the fridge for 1-2 days, but beyond that the texture will be compromised even when reheated. Be sure to store it in a tightly sealed container as it dries out quickly. For longer storage, freeze the rice.

How to Freeze Sticky Rice

Sticky rice can be frozen for about a month before it starts to dry out to the point where it doesn't reheat well. It won't spoil beyond that, you can still eat it, but it won't have as good of a texture.

Separate the rice into portions before freezing as it's impossible to separate the rice when frozen. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap or foil (foil will prevent freezer burn for longer), then consolidate them into a freezer bag, squeezing as much air out of the bag as possible.

How to Reheat Sticky Rice

To reheat with a microwave: Cover the sticky rice in moist paper towel and microwave until steaming hot. It needs to be fully reheated until piping hot or it will not regain its soft texture. If the rice is really dry, you may want to spray or drizzle a bit of water directly on the rice.

To reheat by steaming: Preheat the steamer so the water is boiling. Wrap the sticky rice in a clean damp muslin, damp tea towel, or damp paper towel, then steam until the rice is until piping hot all the way through.

Recipes Using Sticky Rice

Generally, we love to eat sticky rice with meats. Here are a few classic meat dishes that are often paired with sticky rice:

• BBQ Chicken or Thai Fried chicken
• BBQ pork skewers
• Northeastern Thai food such as laab or green papaya salad are always served with sticky rice.
• Or try it with northern Thai food, which is commonly eaten with sticky rice. You can dip it into the thick sauce of Hung Lay curry; or if you like carb-on-carb, it's fantastic with spicy curry glass noodle stir-fry.

We also feature sticky rice prominently in desserts:

• A popular classic that's a must-try during mango season: mango sticky rice
• For fellow durian lovers, durian sticky rice is absolutely divine.
• We eat sticky rice with ice cream! Any ice cream will work, but the classic pairing is this street-style coconut ice cream.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe and some important notes about them. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

• Pork stock or chicken stock, unsalted. In Thailand this would most likely be pork stock, so use that if you want to recreate the exact Thai version, but chicken stock would also be just fine. For the right flavour, homemade Thai style stock is best. Here are my recipes for Thai style pork stock and chicken stock.
• Garlic
• White peppercorns
• Cilantro stems or cilantro roots
• Shrimp, cut into small chunks, plus a few extra whole ones for garnish if you so desire.
• Fish sauce, see my post on choosing good fish sauce here.
• Soy sauce
• Cooked jasmine rice, if you have had trouble cooking jasmine rice, see my post here on how to cook perfect rice without a rice cooker. Having said that, this recipe would work perfectly with rice that you might have accidentally overcooked or under cooked, it's a great way to use it up!

Optional Condiments

• Fried garlic & garlic oil, this is made simply by frying garlic in oil. It takes less than 10 minutes to make and it keeps well so you just have to make it once. I always keep a stash in my fridge as we use it to finish all kinds of dishes, especially noodle soups. See my fried garlic recipe here. *You can buy fried garlic from Asian stores, but you won't get the garlic oil which is arguably the more flavourful part!
• Green onion and/or cilantro, for some greenery 🙂
• Chinese preserved cabbage (optional), this is called tang chai in Thai and it is salty, crunchy bits of preserved (salted) cabbage. It is okay to omit this as it's hard to find, it just adds salty bits to the soup which is nice.
• Extra ground white pepper, to taste.

How to Make Thai Breakfast Rice Soup with Shrimp (Kao Tom Goong)

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

1. Pound white peppercorns until fine, then add garlic and cilantro stem/roots and pound until fine.
2. Add half of the garlic mixture to the small pieces of shrimp and mix well. 
3. Saute the small pieces of shrimp in a pan with a little bit of oil just until it's cooked through.
4. If you're not using a nonstick pan and there is some bits of herbs stuck to the pan, deglaze the pan with a splash of stock to release the tasty bits of herbs. Then remove from pan and set aside.

5. If using whole garnish shrimp, sear the whole shrimp over medium high heat until browned and cooked through, set aside. 
6. Bring the stock to a boil in a pot, add the other half of the garlic paste and simmer for one minute. Then season the broth with fish sauce and soy sauce, then taste and adjust seasoning.
7. When ready to serve, bring the broth to a boil then add the rice and the shrimp. Bring the soup back to a simmer, and immediately turn off the heat (if you let this simmer for a long time the rice will swell up and absorb too much stock).
8. Serve immediately, if you let this sit, the rice will continue to absorb liquid. Ladle into a bowl, and top with all the condiments as desired. Enjoy!

Advance Prep Tip

If you're not an early bird and need breakfast to be quick, it's totally doable! Once components are prepped, it takes just minutes to get it on the table. You can even prepare it for the week. Here's what to do:

Up to a week ahead, cook the rice, the broth, the shrimp, and the fried garlic and keep them in the fridge (in separate containers). Comes time to eat, bring the broth to a boil, and while you wait you can chop up the cilantro/green onions and set the table.

Once the broth boils, add the rice and the shrimp and let it heat up thoroughly for a few minutes, et voila! Gourmet Thai breakfast in minutes!

Recipe Card

Thai Breakfast Rice Soup with Shrimp (Khao Tom Goong)

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• Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

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Description

A classic Thai breakfast is khao tom, or rice soup. Comforting and satisfying, it's the perfect way to start the day. Once components are prepped in advance, the soup comes together in just a few minutes. This version uses shrimp, but chicken can be used instead.

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Ingredients

• 3 cups pork stock or chicken stock, unsalted (homemade is best, here's a recipe!)
• 3 cloves garlic
• ¼ tsp white peppercorns
• 6 cilantro stems or 2 cilantro roots
• ~150g shrimp, cut into small chunks, plus a few extra whole ones for garnish if you so desire
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• ½ Tbsp soy sauce
• 3 cups cooked jasmine rice (this amount is flexible depending on whether you like thick or brothy soup)

Optional Condiments

• Fried garlic & garlic oil
• Green onion and/or cilantro, chopped
• Chinese preserved cabbage (tang chai)
• Extra ground white pepper if needed

Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use

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Instructions

1. Pound white peppercorns until fine, then add garlic and cilantro stem/roots and pound until fine. Add half of this paste to your small pieces of shrimp and mix well. 
2. Saute the small pieces of shrimp in a pan with a little bit of oil just until it's cooked through. Deglaze the pan with some stock as needed and scrape any bits of herb stuck to the bottom. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. If using whole garnish shrimp, sear the whole shrimp over medium high heat until browned and cooked through, set aside. 
4. Bring the stock to a boil in a pot, add the other half of the herb paste and simmer for one minute.
5. Season with fish sauce and soy sauce, then taste and adjust seasoning.
6. When ready to serve, bring the broth to a boil over high heat then add the rice and the shrimp. Bring the soup back to a simmer, and immediately turn off the heat (if you let this simmer for a long time the rice will swell up and absorb too much stock).
7. Serve immediately, if you let this sit, the rice will continue to absorb liquid. Ladle into a bowl, and top with all the condiments as desired. Enjoy!

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A note on the chicken stock

Though store bought stock is okay to use, if you want it to taste like in Thailand, you'll get best results with homemade, Thai style chicken stock. At the very basic level, you can simply simmer chicken bones in water and you'll have chicken stock. But to boost the flavour, adding some aromatics will help.

I like to use daikon and/or onions, garlic, white pepper and cilantro roots or stems. But If you're making the stock specifically for Hainanese chicken rice, adding a few slices of ginger works wonderfully.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Salted Fish Fried Rice in Thailand

In Thai, this dish is called khao pad kana pla kem ข้าวผัดคะน้าปลาเค็ม which literally means fried rice with Chinese broccoli (gai lan) and salted fish. The fish would normally be salt-cured king mackerel which is commonly available at any market.

It's a simple, rustic dish you can commonly find at food courts and some ahaan taam sung shops which are street-side restaurants that offer a variety of quick, wok-based dishes.

Fun fact: ahaan taam sung อาหารตามสั่ง means "food as you order," which conveys the idea that whatever you want, as long as they have ingredients and can be booked in the wok, they can make for you. Most commonly these are simple stir fries such as pad kra pao, fried rices and stir-fried noodles.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

The Problems with Other Ways of Cooking Sticky Rice

A bit of context, the 7 ways to cook sticky rice that I shared previously fell into 2 major categories:

1. The soak-and-steam methods. This is the traditional way Thai and other Southeast Asian people cook sticky rice. You simply soak the rice in room temp water for an absolute minimum of 3 hours and upto overnight. Then drain and steam it using various steaming implements. This method is easy, foolproof, with no precision needed, but the several hours of advance planning it requires is the main issue.
2. The no-soak methods. The sticky rice is cooked directly in water without soaking. This is the fastest way and solves the advance planning issue, but the results are generally not as good and you do need to be very precise with the amount of water - it is not foolproof at all.

The new method I’m sharing - "the hot soak" - takes the best of both worlds. It still falls under the soak-and-steam methods, but it uses hot water so the soak happens much faster, and it doesn’t require advance planning. The result? I think it is even better than the traditional method! More on this below.

How To Cook Sticky Rice - The Hot Soak Method

This is how it's done. It's very simple, but if this is your first time I recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

1. Bring plenty of water to a full boil; you need enough to submerge your rice by about an inch.
2. While the water is heating, wash your sticky rice by placing the rice into a large mixing bowl, add plenty of room temp water and swish the rice aggressively with your hands to dislodge loose starch. Pour off the cloudy water and repeat the washing 3-4 times until the water runs mostly clear. Doesn't have to be crystal clear.
3. Drain the rice well and then put the rice in a heat proof bowl.
4. Once the water comes to a FULL rolling boil (not a simmer!) pour the water over the rice until it comes up about ½ - 1 inch above the rice. Give the rice a stir to break up any lumps, and let it soak for 20 minutes.
   Tip: If cooking a very small or very large amount of rice, see caveats and tip below for some important adjustments.
5. Meanwhile, set up your steamer and bring your steaming water to a boil. For more on different steaming implements that you can use to steam the sticky rice, see methods 1-3 of my 7 ways to cook sticky rice post.
6. Once the rice is done soaking, rinse the rice with cool tap water to remove any starch that has come out during the soaking, then drain.
7. Place the drained rice into your steamer and steam over boiling water for 20-30 minutes depending on the amount. That's it!

Why This Method Works

In the traditional method, the rice soaks up water slowly at room temperature. By using hot water, we speed up that soaking time AND the higher temperature forces the rice to absorb MORE water than it normally can at room temp, so the result is not only a much faster soak, but also a slightly softer rice.

And this is the reason why I actually prefer the hot soaked rice, because it stays soft even after it has cooled down. By contrast, cold soaked sticky rice hardens and dries out quite quickly once it cools.

Previously in my 7 ways to cook sticky rice post, I shared a hack for cooking sticky rice that would stay soft when cooled. It involves steeping cold-soaked sticky rice in hot water for 10 minutes before steaming. Little did I know then that I can skip the cold soak altogether and just do a longer hot soak!

Some Caveats and Tips for Success

With this method, you don't need to be super precise, but here are some things to keep in mind:

• Don't add an excessive amount of water. The instruction is to add enough water so it comes up 0.5-1 inch above the rice, and while you don't need to get out your ruler, you don't want to add a ton of extra water. The larger the amount of water, the hotter it stays, and if it's too hot, the 20-min soak might be too long, causing the rice to be too soft.
• If you're cooking a large amount of rice, consider cutting down soaking time. I have tried this method successfully for up to 3 cups of uncooked rice. If you're cooking more, you may need to cut down soaking time by a few minutes for the same reason as above - a large amount of water stays hotter for longer. I don't imagine 4 cups would present an issue, but 5+ cups might start to make a significant difference.
• If you're cooking a very small amount of rice, 1 cup or less, you might want to up the water a bit as a small amount of water will cool down faster. So instead of covering the rice by 0.5-1 inch, make it 1-1.5 inches.
• Adjust according to your preference! The beauty of this method is that once you know how it works, it can be manipulated to produce the texture you prefer! If you prefer softer rice, add more hot water or extend soaking time. If you like it firmer, reduce the soaking time.

Summary: Pros and Cons of Different Sticky Rice Cooking Methods

As a summary, let's take a look at the pros and cons of each method:

Traditional Cold-Soak Methods:

+ Foolproof. No precision needed, no measuring or timing anything.
- Many hours of advance planning required.
- Rice dries out easily unless you use a hack to prevent it.

No-Soak Methods:

+ Gets rice on the table the fastest (takes ~30 mins all-in)
+ No advance prep required
- Rice texture not ideal
- Needs precision. Not foolproof.

Hot-Soak Methods:

+ No advance prep needed (takes about 45 mins all-in)
+ Perfect texture; rice stays soft when cool
- Some attention is required with timing and amount of water, but does not need precision.

Based on these pros and cons, it's no question for me that the hot-soak method is the best way to go!

My Experiments: Searching for the perfect rice

If you like to get nerdy with food, as I like to, you might wonder what would happen if you start tweaking variables. This is what I did when testing out this method, and here's what I tried:

• I tried soaking the rice for 30 minutes. The rice was a bit too soft when hot, but was okay after it has cooled down. The "too soft" was still edible though, so FYI, it's not the end of the world if you over soak it by a few minutes.
• I tried soaking the rice for 10 minutes. This was not acceptable. The rice did not absorb enough water during the soak and was undercooked. So right around 20 minutes is the sweet spot here, plus/minus a few minutes is probably okay.
• I tried a "super hot soak" by using a larger amount of water, and then covered the bowl to keep it as hot as possible. After only a 10 minute soak, the rice came out too soft, so too-high temp is not good even with a short time. (BTW I turned it into rice pudding which was super delish.)
• I tried stopping the soak mid-way and doing it again the next day. This was a total accident that was quite informative. I had to soak some rice in order to take a photo for the video's thumbnail, but after the photo was done, I wasn't ready to eat it.
  
  So I rinsed it in cold water, drained it, and put it away in the fridge. The next day, I soaked it again in hot water for 15 minutes (guessing that the initial soak was about 5 mins). After steaming, the rice was perfect as if the soak had happened in 1 session.

TAKEAWAY: My experimentation informed me that there are dials you can turn with this method. The important thing is that you need a certain amount of water to be absorbed into the rice, but you can tinker with the timing and temperature quite a bit to make it work with your situation and preference.

What is Marble Eggs?

I came up with the name "marble eggs" myself, but I didn't invent the dish. The recipe started to appear on the Thai internet in 2020, and it's called kai yoo yee ไข่ยู่ยี่ which actually means "wrinkled eggs," but I didn't think it translated well in English!

The eggs are "marbled" in the pan, and cooked just until the whites are set and the yolks are still gooey, and the whole thing slides on top of hot jasmine rice, drizzled with prik nam pla, a spicy garlicky fish sauce. You can think of it as a Thai omurice!

Not surprisingly it quickly became popular in Thailand because eggs and rice is a combination Thai people LOVE. I mean, you could call the Thai omelette our national dish if we were ranking by the dish that's made the most often!

The key to this recipe is the sauce: prik nam pla, our national condiment. The combination of eggs and prik nam pla is genius. The moment I saw this I INSTANTLY knew those spicy-salty-sour flavours were going to be amazing with the eggs. And it's so fast and customizable...of course people would love it!

What is Prik Nam Pla?

พริกนำ้ปลา or Prik nam pla is arguably the Thai national condiment! It's our #1 condiment used most frequently as a general seasoning booster, like how salt and pepper is used in other countries. Something tastes a little bland, a little boring? A dash of prik nam pla is all you need. (Note: Some people call it nam pla prik. Same same.)

At the basic level prik nam pla is simply sliced chilies in fish sauce (prik means chilies, and nam pla means fish sauce). But there are variations, and I think of prik nam pla as having 4 levels:

• Level 1: Chilies and fish sauce. Simple and easy, but this is pretty intense as the fish sauce is full-strength, so go light when using this. Amount of chilies is to taste.
  
• Level 2: Chilies, fish sauce and lime juice. The most common version. Lime juice is added for acidity and brightness, and to lessen the concentration of salt. For an all-purpose prik nam pla I use about 3 parts fish sauce to 1 part lime juice, but you can add as much as you like.
  
• Level 3: Chilies, fish sauce, lime juice, and garlic. Thinly sliced or minced garlic; amount is to taste. Allow the garlic to sit for 15 minutes before using.
  
• Level 4: Chilies, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and shallots. Thinly slice the shallots; amount is to taste.

For marble eggs, I'm at level 4, and I've made the it with a lot more lime juice than normal because I want to be able to use a lot of the sauce on the eggs, and the acidity keeps everything bright and delicious. I also added a pinch of sugar to soften the salt and acid a bit, again so that I can use a lot of the sauce without fearing that it will be too salty. It will not (and should not) taste sweet.

• Thai chilies, but these could be any spicy chilies you have on hand such as serrano or jalapeno.
• Large eggs
• Fish sauce, if you are vegetarian you can substitute vegan fish sauce or use soy sauce. Good quality fish sauce is important here, see this post for how to choose good fish sauce
• Lime juice
• Sugar
• Shallots, technically optional, but it's nice if you have them.
• Garlic

How to Make Marble Eggs

Here's a bird's eye view of the process, but be sure to check out the full video tutorial in the recipe card below to ensure success!

1. Make prik nam pla by combining fish sauce, lime juice and sugar.
2. Add chilies, garlic and shallots and let sit while you make the eggs.
3. Add the eggs all at once to a pre-heated pan with a little oil in it.
4. Break the yolks and drag out into a marble pattern.

5. Allow eggs to cook until set to your liking.
6. Slide the marble eggs onto jasmine rice.
7. Drizzle the prik nam pla over the eggs.
8. Enjoy!

Pro-Tip: Hack for Reducing Heat from Chilies

Usually I tell people to add as much or as little chilies as they can tolerate. But for some recipes, such as this one, the FLAVOUR of the chilies are actually important to the dish, not just heat. So instead of putting less chilies, I recommend you either use milder chilies or reduce the heat from your chilies. You want a piece or two of chilies in every bite.

The most effective way to reduce the heat from chilies is to cut them open in half horizontally, then use a knife to scrape off the seeds AND the pith (white stuff that holds the seeds in place), leaving behind only the flesh. This can be tedious if you're doing a lot, and you have to be careful where you put those spicy fingers afterwards!

The fastest way to reduce heat from the chilies.

When I don't have time to deal with individual chilies, I simply slice them and put them in a bowl of cold water. The seeds will fall to the bottom, and if you let them sit while you prep, the chilies will release some of their heat into the water.

When ready to use scoop the chilies out with a slotted spoon or skimmer (leaving the seeds behind obv.) and ideally drain them on some paper towel so the excess water doesn't dilute your sauce (which I didn't do in the video, but should've).

If you want to know if the heat has come out of the chilies...just taste the water! J/k...I mean you can, but you've been warned.

This isn't as effective as scraping all the pith out, but if you can tolerate some heat and just need to tone it down, this is waaayyyy easier.

Adding Toppings

If you're feeling more sophisticated than just eggs and rice, this dish is very easy to "dress up." A common topping is cooked shrimp, but you can add any meats, veggies or herbs; think omelette toppings!

Some good topping options include:

• Shrimp or seafood
• Ham, bacon, sausages
• Tuna, anchovies, smoked salmon or other cured fish
• Leftover meats (chicken, beef, pork...anything)
• Sautéed veggies (e.g. mushrooms, peppers, onions)
• Fresh herbs: Cilantro, green onions or dill.

How to Add Toppings

Cook or reheat your toppings first as it will not have time to cook with the eggs! If using raw protein or veggies, simply saute them in the same pan you're using for the eggs. Get them fully cooked, then remove from the pan. Tip: Do not clean the pan because you want to keep every drop of flavour!

Add a little more oil and cook the eggs as per the recipe. Once you're done "drawing out" the marble pattern, arrange the toppings on the eggs, pushing them in a bit so they stick. Once the eggs are set, sprinkle on any fresh herbs you're using and you're done!

Common Questions