Ginger Fried Rice
Published Nov 21, 2013•Updated Apr 19, 2022
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With very few ingredients, this simple Ginger Fried Rice is full of flavor and makes a super simple lunch or dinner.
There are so many wonderful things about this way of life we’ve chosen.
Frank and I moved to Bangkok three years ago, just a few months after we got married. We saw it as an adventure. And an adventure, it truly has been.
There are challenges to this way of life.
Even now, after all this time, there is still some part of every day during which I’m confused about something. It could be a conversation with a taxi driver, an item at the grocery store, or an exchange at work. I’ll never totally feel on the inside of what is happening in this Thai life around me.
Living in Bangkok has its magical moments, to be sure. Just when the city seems to be throwing you its worst, you wake up to a perfect blue sky, smell the incense wafting out of a temple, take a big gulp of a perfect broth from a batch of Tom Yam Goong soup. Magic.
The other night I was sitting in our quiet apartment, while rain fell against the windows and the lizards in our courtyard barked at each other (they really do sound like they’re barking), and I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
In this moment, at this time, this is where I am meant to be.
Frank and I are lucky. We both felt that way at just the same time. Earlier this year, when the opportunity presented itself for Frank to extend his contract and work in Bangkok for a bit longer, we questioned it. We stayed up late into the night, weighing the pros and cons.
But at the end of the day, it seems that it always comes down to a feeling.
This week marks the end of our third year in Bangkok. And we’re staying for a while longer. We miss home deeply, and some days it feels like too much, but most days we feel sublimely lucky. Lucky to be living this life. Lucky to be living this adventure together.
We’re in for a bit more of this expat living. Bangkok, we’re not leaving just yet.
More Fried Rice Recipes
- Honey Garlic Chicken Fried Rice
- Pineapple Fried Rice
- Fast and Easy Cauliflower Fried Rice
- How to Make Thai Fried Rice
- Bacon Fried Rice
- Vegetable Fried Rice
Favorite Tools
- 6-inch Global Knife https://amzn.to/32YrJqg
- Cutting Board
- Skillet or Wok
- Wok Spatula
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Ginger Fried Rice
Equipment
- Wok or Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Peanut Oil
- 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 2 Tbsp Minced Ginger
- Salt, to taste
- 2 cups Thinly Sliced Leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and dried
- 4 cups Day-Old Cooked Rice, preferably jasmine, at room temperature
- 4 large Eggs
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil
- 4 tsp Soy Sauce
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and salt lightly.
- Reduce heat under skillet to medium-low and add 2 tablespoons oil and leeks. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very tender but not browned. Season lightly with salt.
- Raise heat to medium and add rice. Cook, stirring well, until heated through. Season to taste with salt.
- In a nonstick skillet, fry eggs in remaining oil, sunny-side-up, until edges are set but yolk is still runny.
- Divide rice among four dishes. Top each with an egg and drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Sprinkle crisped garlic and ginger over everything and serve.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Expat life can be hard: even in a country where you understand language and culture you never feel truly on the inside. But then you go home and is not really home anymore. It is a very enriching life, but bittersweet.
Congrats on three years, and on deciding to stay more! I can understand the bittersweet feeling of staying in a place you love, but also missing loved ones at home 🙂 Also, this fried rice looks so good! It inspired me to make some with leftover wild rice.
Thanks so much Sonja. It realy is bittersweet, but knowing it’s the right choice for us does make it a bit easier. I feel like it will fly by, and we’ll be headed home before we know it though!
I know exactly what you mean, Jess! We’re about to renew our residency permits for Sweden again which means we’ve been here for 4 years now (and also moved when we’d been married only a few months)! There are definitely challenges and homesick moments, but last night I was riding my bike home from work in the dark and cold, past the sparkly Christmas lights on the royal palace, and just felt so happy to be where I am. I’m sure Thailand has raised way more challenges for you, it being so different, but I think it’s super cool you guys have decided to stick it out for a bit longer. Being an expat changes you, and I don’t think you can ever really go back to the life you had before.
Oh this looks so delicious! My favorite kind of meal, and with an egg on top! Perfect. Happy Thanksgiving Jess!