Dollop
Thai stir-fried squash with egg (fak thong pad kai)
Sweet butternut squash and garlic stir-fried with fluffy egg in a savory soy glaze, a humble Thai home dish that is ready in 30 minutes.
- 30 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $3.00 a serving
- 680 calories
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 3 cups cubed butternut squash
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large eggs
- 2 green onions, sliced
From your pantry
- 1½ cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp water
- 1½ tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 680 calories, 20 g protein, 104 g carbs and 22 g fat, and costs about $3.00 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 cubed butternut squash? Butternut squash works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice and bring it with 1½ cups water and the salt in a .
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
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
Stir once, cover, turn to low and cook 15 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Cut the squash into thin pieces about ¼ inch thick so they cook quickly.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Heat the oil in a large over medium-high heat.
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.
Medium-high heat
Add the garlic for 20 seconds, then the squash and 3 tablespoons water.
Medium-high heat
Cover and cook until nearly tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
Medium-high heatTimer: 5 min
Uncover, add the soy sauce and sugar and until the squash is tender and , 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir-fry. Stir-frying means cooking small pieces fast over high heat in a little oil, stirring almost constantly. It moves quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before the pan gets hot.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the whole time, and the vegetables turn bright and tender-crisp in minutes.
Glaze. A glaze is a thin, glossy coating, often sweet, brushed or spooned over food near the end. It adds shine and flavor, and because it has sugar, it can burn quickly.
How you’ll know: The food looks shiny and evenly coated, sticky at the edges but not blackened.
Medium-high heatTimer: 2 min
Push the squash to one side, crack the eggs into the space and let them set for 30 seconds, then scramble until cooked through, about 1 minute. everything together.
Fold. Folding means mixing gently by scooping from the bottom and turning it over the top, instead of stirring hard. It keeps light mixtures airy and soft things like berries or herbs in one piece.
How you’ll know: You use slow, wide strokes and stop as soon as there are no streaks left.
Medium-high heatTimer: 2 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.
with pepper, scatter the green onions over and serve with the rice.
Season. Seasoning means adding salt, pepper or spices to bring out a food’s flavor. A little at a few stages tastes better than a lot all at the end.
How you’ll know: When you taste it, it tastes bright and like itself, not flat and not salty.
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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