Khow Pad Moo (Thai Pork Fried Rice)

There are numerous blog postings in the forums I frequent and newscasts on The Filipino Channel I patronize about the rice crisis in the Philippines. However, the information about the shortage did not elicit interest from me until today when I went to our nearby asian supermarket for my bi-monthly grocery shopping. I found out that not only was my favorite brand of jasmine rice out of stock but there was also a limit of two bags per household for lesser-quality brands. To my added chagrin, prices doubled from around $12 to $25 for the 25-lb sizes. It is very sad that a problem does not become OUR problem until it reaches our doorstep. It is sadder still that I can go home annoyed with a 50-lb sack of rice in my trunk just because I was not able to avail of the brand I prefer while televised news show children from the other side of the world standing in line for hours to receive a little bag of grain barely sufficient for a meal.

I am providing a link here to FreeRice.com, an award-winning site that is working, in collaboration with UN World Food Program, to end hunger twenty grains at a time.

I adapted this recipe from the “Lemon Grass, Quick and Easy Thai Cuisine” cookbook that I recently purchased from Barnes and Noble and is now fast becoming one of my favorite dinner sources. This khow pad moo (thai-style pork fried rice), as well as the adobo fried rice, shrimp fried rice and binagoongan fried rice recipes already in the archive, is an excellent way to re-invent cooked white rice.

Makes 4 Servings

2 cups cooked white rice
1 egg
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1/4 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/4 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 tomato, cut into chunks
1 green onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup pork, sliced
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp white pepper
vegetable oil
cilantro
cucumber

Complimenting Sauce

2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
chopped thai chili peppers

In a frying pan, heat oil. Add garlic.
Stir fry pork until done.
Break egg into pan and scramble until cooked.
Add rice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and white pepper.
Continue cooking until rice is hot, adjusting temperature as needed.
Add onions, sliced peppers and tomato chunks.
Toss in chopped green onions.
Garnish with cucumber slices and cilantro sprig.
Serve with sauce.

TIPS:
1) Kecap manis can be replaced by mollasses with a little vegetable stock stirred in.