Thai Crab Fried Rice (Khao Pad Pu)
Fluffy day-old jasmine rice is stir-fried in a hot wok with scrambled egg, sweet lump crab, garlic, and scallions, then finished with a squeeze of lime and fresh cilantro. It's the classic Thai street-food and restaurant favorite, ready in under 20 minutes once the prep is done.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 27 min
- Makes
- 4 generous servings (about 8 cups / 1.2 kg fried rice)
Steps
Before you start
- Use cold, day-old cooked jasmine rice. Cook it up to 2 days ahead, spread on a tray to cool, then refrigerate uncovered for at least 6 hours. Fresh rice turns mushy.
- Stir-frying is fast. Measure, chop, and set out every ingredient within arm's reach of the stove before you turn on the heat.
- Gently pick through the crab meat for shell fragments, and keep the lumps as intact as you can. Pat it dry with paper towels so it doesn't water down the rice.
- Break up any clumps of cold rice with your fingers before cooking so it heats evenly.
Mix the sauce
- In a small bowl, stir together the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper until the sugar dissolves.
- Set the bowl next to the stove along with the beaten eggs, crab, rice, onion, garlic, and scallions.
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Ready when: Sugar is fully dissolved and no grains are visible at the bottom of the bowl.
Tip: Add the sauce to the rice in one pour. Fumbling with bottles mid-stir-fry leads to burnt garlic.
Prep the rice and crab
- Break up the cold rice with your fingers so no clump is larger than a grape.
- Pat the crab meat dry with paper towels and keep it in a bowl, leaving the lumps whole.
- Slice the cucumber and cut the lime wedges for serving.
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Ready when: Rice grains are separate and loose, not clumped.
Tip: Wet crab steams the rice and makes it gummy. Dry it well.
Heat the wok
- Set the wok over high heat for 1½–2 minutes until it is very hot and a drop of water evaporates immediately.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat the bottom and lower sides.
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Ready when: Oil shimmers and flows like water, with a faint wisp of smoke.
Tip: If using a nonstick skillet, heat it only 1 minute and use medium-high heat to protect the coating.
Scramble the eggs
- Pour in the beaten eggs.
- Let them set for 10 seconds, then push and fold with the spatula for 20–30 seconds into large, soft curds.
- Transfer the eggs to a plate, leaving the oil in the wok.
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Ready when: Eggs are just set, in large curds, and still slightly glossy (they finish cooking later).
Tip: Cook the eggs only until barely set. They will cook more when returned to the hot rice.
Soften the aromatics
- Add 1 tablespoon oil to the wok and reduce the heat to medium-high.
- Add the onion and scallion whites and stir-fry for 1½ minutes until the onion is translucent.
- Add the garlic and stir for 20–30 seconds.
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Ready when: Onion is translucent at the edges and the garlic smells fragrant, with no browning.
Tip: Garlic burns in seconds and turns bitter. Move on as soon as it smells fragrant.
Fry the rice
- Return the heat to high and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
- Add the rice and spread it across the wok.
- Toss and press the rice against the hot surface with the spatula for 3–4 minutes.
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Ready when: Rice is steaming hot throughout, grains bounce and jump when tossed, and a few toasty spots appear.
Tip: Don't stir constantly. Letting the rice sit for a few seconds between tosses gives better flavor.
Season the rice
- Pour the sauce around the edges of the wok, not directly onto the rice, so it sizzles as it hits the metal.
- Toss for 30–45 seconds until the rice is evenly colored and no wet patches remain.
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Ready when: Rice is evenly golden-tan and smells savory, with no pooled liquid.
Fold in crab and egg
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Return the eggs to the wok, breaking them into bite-size pieces.
- Add the crab and fold gently with the spatula for 1–1½ minutes, just until the crab is warmed through.
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Ready when: Crab is warm and opaque white, and still in visible chunks.
Tip: Fold instead of stir so the lump crab does not shred into the rice.
Finish with lime and herbs
- Turn off the heat.
- Squeeze in about 1 tablespoon of lime juice from the whole lime and add the scallion greens and half of the cilantro.
- Toss 3–4 times.
- Taste and add a splash of fish sauce if it needs more salt.
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Ready when: Rice smells bright and citrusy, and herbs are just wilted but still green.
Tip: Adding lime and herbs off the heat keeps their fresh flavor.
Plate and serve
- Mound the rice on 4 plates or a platter.
- Top with the remaining cilantro and serve right away with cucumber slices, lime wedges, and prik nam pla if using.
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Tip: Cool cucumber and a squeeze of lime at the table balance the rich, savory rice.
Good to know
Tips
- Dry, cold rice is the secret to separate grains. If you only have fresh rice, spread it on a baking sheet and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Don't overcrowd the wok. If you only have a 12-inch skillet, fry the rice in two batches for better browning.
- Use white pepper if you can. It gives the authentic Thai flavor, which is earthy and sharp rather than fruity like black pepper.
- Choose fresh or pasteurized lump crab from the refrigerated seafood case. Canned crab works if it's well drained and squeezed dry.
Make ahead
"Cook the jasmine rice up to 2 days ahead, cool it quickly on a tray, and refrigerate uncovered or loosely covered. Slice the cucumber, mince the garlic, and mix the sauce up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate separately."
Storage & reheating
"Cool leftovers within 1 hour. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 days. Freezing is not recommended because of the crab and egg texture. Reheat in a hot skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil and a splash of water for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until steaming hot (165°F / 74°C). Don't leave it at room temperature more than 2 hours."
Substitutions
- lump crab meat → cooked small shrimp, chopped. Use 8 oz (225 g) peeled shrimp, stir-fried until pink before adding the rice. This isn't crab fried rice, but it's still tasty.
- fish sauce → additional light soy sauce. Use 2 tablespoons soy sauce total for a less funky, slightly less complex flavor.
- cooked jasmine rice → day-old long-grain white rice. Jasmine is traditional and fragrant, but any long-grain white rice works. Avoid sticky short-grain rice.
- fresh cilantro → thinly sliced scallion greens. For people who dislike cilantro, use extra scallion greens for a fresh, mild finish.