Crab fried rice
The Thai takeout classic made with budget imitation crab: fluffy egg, tender rice and a squeeze of lime, ready about as fast as delivery.
- 50 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $2.20 a serving
- 550 calories
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- ¾ cup jasmine rice, rinsed, or 2¼ cups leftover cooked rice
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup imitation crab, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 2 green onions, sliced
- ½ cucumber, sliced (optional)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- 2 tbsp cilantro (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
Each serving has about 550 calories, 18 g protein, 77 g carbs and 19 g fat, and costs about $2.20 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No jasmine rice? Long-grain white rice or basmati rice works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No cucumbers? English cucumbers or mini cucumbers work.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Bring the rice and water in a small over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Spread the rice on a plate and let it cool for 15 minutes.
Timer: 15 min
Dolly’s tip: Skip this if you have leftover rice. Cold rice fries up fluffy; warm rice clumps.the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar together in a small bowl.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large over medium-high heat. Cook the onion for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and for 30 seconds, .
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium-high heatTimer: 2 min 30 sec
Push everything to one side, pour the eggs into the empty space and scramble for about 1 minute, until just set.
Medium-high heatTimer: 1 min
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Add the rest of the oil and the rice and -fry for 3 minutes, pressing it into the pan, until hot and a little toasty.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
High heatTimer: 3 min
Add the crab and the sauce and for 1 to 2 minutes, until everything is hot and evenly colored.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
High heatTimer: 1 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Imitation crab is already cooked. It only needs heating, so it goes in last to stay tender.Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.
in the green onions and serve with cucumber slices, lime wedges and cilantro.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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