Excerpted from Hot Thai Kitchen: The 10th Anniversary Edition by Pailin Chongchitnant. Copyright © 2026 Pailin Chongchitnant. Cover and photography on pages x, 240–276 by Janis Nicolay. Recipe photos and portraits of the author by David Tam. Thailand photos by Art Chongchitnant. Photo on page 53 by Stephen Fortner. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
| Portions | Cook Time |
|---|---|
| 2 | 10 minutes |
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) vegetable oil
- 12 medium shrimp (4 left whole, 4 chopped in small pieces)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups (375 g) cooked jasmine rice (see note)
- 1/4 cup (35 g) small-diced onion
- 2 tsp (10 ml) soy sauce
- 2 tsp (10 ml) fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp (7 ml) shrimp paste in oil (optional, see note)
- 1 1/4 tsp (2.5 g) curry powder
- 1 1/2 tsp (6 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 cup (165 g) bite-sized pieces of fresh pineapple
- 1/2 cup (70 g) cashews, roasted
- 1 roma tomato, 1-inch (2.5 cm) diced
- 2 green onions, chopped Cucumber slices, for serving
Directions
- In a wok or a large frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of the vegetable oil until hot. Sear the four whole shrimp until just cooked through; remove and set aside. In the same pan, add the small pieces of shrimp and cook until done; remove and set aside.
- Add more oil to the wok if needed, then add the eggs and scramble them slightly. When the eggs are halfway set, add the rice and onion; toss to mix. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, shrimp paste, curry powder, sugar, salt, and white pepper; toss until the rice grains are separated and evenly coated in the seasoning. If there are clumps of rice, press on them with the back of your spatula to break them apart.
- Add the pineapple, cashews, and small pieces of shrimp; toss until the rice is dry and the pineapple is heated through. Turn off the heat and toss in the tomatoes and most of the green onions, reserving some for garnish.
- Plate and top with the whole shrimp. Sprinkle over the reserved green onion for garnish. Serve with fresh cucumber slices to add freshness and crunchiness, and to balance out the richness of the fried rice.
Note: Leftover cold rice is perfect for fried rice, but if you need to make fresh rice, use a little less water than normal and, if possible, refrigerate before using.
This shrimp paste is not to be confused with fermented shrimp paste (gapi). This one is made from shrimp tomalley that has been cooked with some herbs and seasoning. It is orange, comes in a glass jar, and is usually labelled “shrimp paste with soybean oil.”