Khao pad pu: Thai fried rice with crab

The art of dry, fluffy rice

Khao pad pu is Thai fried rice with crab. The base is deliberately simple: cooked jasmine rice, egg, spring onion, crab meat, fish sauce and white pepper. The rice brings fragrance and texture, while crab adds a delicate, slightly sweet flavour. Lime and prik nam pla are served at the table, so everyone can choose how much tang and chilli to add to their plate.

The most important choice is made before you start stir-frying. Use fully cooled rice, preferably cooked a day ahead. Fresh, warm rice contains more moisture and can easily turn sticky in the wok. Spread freshly cooked rice on a shallow tray so it cools more quickly, then refrigerate it within an hour. Keep cooked rice chilled and use it within 24 hours. Separate any clumps with your fingers before you begin; that way, you won’t have to break up the grains too roughly while frying.

A properly hot wok helps the rice fry quickly without steaming in its own moisture. Have all the ingredients ready, because the cooking goes fast. Don’t cook too much at once: an overcrowded wok loses heat, and the rice is more likely to turn soft than stay fluffy. If you’re cooking for more people, make two batches instead. Briefly fry the egg first and leave it just soft; it will continue cooking when you add the rice and crab. Fold in the crab meat gently so you keep some recognisable pieces.

If possible, use fresh, cooked and carefully cleaned crab meat. Crab from a tin or chilled pack also works; drain it well, as excess moisture will make the rice soggy. Choose large pieces rather than finely minced crab. Fish sauce gives the rice its salty, savoury flavour, so don’t add extra salt straight away. White pepper is mild and aromatic, and gives a different flavour from black pepper. To make prik nam pla, mix fish sauce with thin rings of red chilli; taste carefully, as the heat of chillies varies.

Serve the rice straight from the wok with lime wedges and a small dish of prik nam pla. A squeeze of lime brightens the savoury flavours without overpowering the crab. Cucumber makes a fresh, simple side, but it isn’t part of the stir-fry itself. Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate them covered; reheat them just once, until steaming hot throughout. The rice is best when the grains are still separate and the crab hasn’t been cooked for long.