Vietnamese Crab Fried Rice
Fluffy fried rice is the perfect partner for fragrant Vietnamese flavours and sweet, luxurious crab meat. This is a delicious southeast Asian dish, packed with flavour
Servings: 3
Calories: 524kcal
Ingredients
- 2 spring onions divided into white and green parts, both sliced
- 1 tbsp ginger finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves chopped finely
- 6 cilantro stems chopped finely
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups cooked jasmine rice kept in fridge overnight
- 1 cup Asian greens choy sum, pak choy etc.
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 225 g fresh or canned crab meat white or brown
- ½ cup extra cilantro stems & leaves, chopped
- 1 lime
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, cilantro stalks and spring onion whites, then stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the eggs and stir quickly, breaking them up as they scramble into the aromatics.
- Add the cooked rice and toss everything together. Use the back of your spoon to break apart any clumps so the grains are evenly coated.
- Add the greens, salt, white pepper and fish sauce and stir well. Spread the rice across the wok and leave it untouched for 1 minute, allowing it to catch and lightly char underneath. Toss again and continue stir-frying for 3–4 minutes in total, until piping hot.
- Add half the crabmeat and gently stir-fry for 1 minute, then remove the wok from the heat.
- Gently fold in the remaining crabmeat, squeeze over the lime juice and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use cold, day-old rice. I can’t stress this enough! Chilled rice is firmer and drier, so the grains separate and fry properly instead of turning soft and mushy. If you’re short on time, spread freshly cooked rice over a tray and refrigerate until completely cold.
- Choose good crabmeat. Freshly picked white crabmeat is wonderful, but I generally use good-quality canned lump crabmeat. White meat is sweet and delicate, while a little brown meat brings a richer crab flavour. Drain it thoroughly and check carefully for any pieces of shell.
- Get everything ready first. Fried rice is a fast and furious affair, so chop and measure every ingredient before heating the wok. Once you start cooking, the whole dish comes together in minutes.
- Use plenty of heat. Let the wok become properly hot before you begin, then keep everything moving. I spread the rice across the hot surface and leave it untouched for a minute. This creates a lightly charred, restaurant-style flavour without drying out the rice.
- Add the crab in two stages. Stir half into the hot rice to spread its flavour throughout, then fold in the rest after taking the wok off the heat. This keeps some larger, juicy pieces intact and stops the delicate crabmeat from overcooking.
- Serve it straight away. This fried rice is at its absolute best piping hot from the wok. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours, keep them for no more than two days and reheat only once, until steaming hot throughout. For the best crab flavour and texture, I recommend eating leftovers the following day.
- No crab? No problem. Shrimp, scallops or calamari make excellent alternatives. Cook them briefly in the hot oil first, remove them from the wok, then return them at the same stage as the crab.
Nutrition
Calories: 524kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 2021mg | Potassium: 462mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1761IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 2mg