How to Make Green Curry Fried Rice

Craving Thai green curry and have leftover rice? Switch things up! Green Curry Fried Rice a fun way to turn day old rice into a flavor-packed dinner! My Thai Hubby kept talking about how good it was, which is why this recipe is in our regular dinner rotation.

What Is Green Curry Fried Rice

Green curry fried rice is a fun combo of Green Curry Chicken mixed with fried rice made by tossing day old rice with green curry paste, coconut milk, vegetables, and your choice of protein. Fish sauce, oyster sauce, and brown sugar bring the savory, salty, and hint of sweet flavors together.

Why You’ll Love This Green Curry Fried Recipe

• Learn my Thai cooking class teacher secret tips for making fried rice that’s flavorful, not mushy.
• A fun way to use day-old rice
• Flexible enough for whatever is in your fridge you need to use up
• Easy to adjust to your spicy level preference

Green Curry Fried Rice Ingredients You’ll Need

• 3 tbsp, divided Thai green curry paste : I love Maesri or Mae Ploy.
• ½ cup, divided Coconut Milk (Chao Koh is my favorite!): You can also leave it out if you want it more spicy, and less chance of mushy rice.
• 1½ cups Thai eggplants (or veggie of choice) (aren’t they adorable? Look just like mini round watermelons): If you can’t find Thai eggplants, it’s fine to use whatever eggplant you can find at the store.  
• 1½ cups protein of choice, chopped into bite-sized pieces: We love chicken breast, pork or shrimp. 
• 1 cup peas: We just use a bag of frozen peas.
• 4 cups, cold and at least a day old jasmine rice (or any rice you have in the fridge), at least a day old, and cold: If you don’t have old rice, you can cook some with less water than you would normally to help it be more dry, and put it on a baking sheet in a thin layer for about an hour before cooking to help it dry out some.
• 1–2 tbsp, or to taste Fish sauce: Always and forever one of my favorite Thai sauces, remember, it’s magical, don’t let the stinky smell scare you away from its umami power.
• 1–2 tbsp, or to taste sugar: White, brown or palm sugar, to balance out the flavors.
• 1–2 tbsp, or to taste oyster sauce: Another salty sweet umami Thai sauce I adore, my fav is the MaeKrua brand.
• 2, thinly slivered with the stems removed makrut lime leaves: Such a hidden gem if you can find them, their bright and happy citrus notes take your green curry fried rice to the next level.
• 1 cup Thai basil leaves, optional to sprinkle on top, that’s extra awesome, but no worries if ya don’t.

How to Make Green Curry Fried Rice

Step 1: Prep the rice and ingredients

Break up 4 cups day-old, cold rice as much as you can. Chop 1½ cups Thai eggplants and 1½ cups protein into bite-sized pieces. Warm 1 cup frozen peas and set everything near the stove. Fried rice cooks quickly, so it’s nice to have the ingredients ready to go!

Step 2: Fry the curry paste

Heat a few tablespoons of cooking oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp Thai green curry paste and stir-fry until fragrant.

Add 3 tbsp coconut milk and stir to combine.

Step 3: Cook the protein and eggplant

Add 1½ cups chopped protein and stir-fry until almost cooked through. Add 1½ cups chopped eggplant (or veggie of choice) and cook until the protein is fully cooked and the eggplant has softened, a few minutes more.

Transfer the protein and eggplant to a plate.

Step 4: Fry the rice

Add another few tablespoons of cooking oil to the wok. Add the remaining 2 tbsp Thai green curry paste and stir-fry until fragrant.

Pour in the remaining ¼ cup coconut milk and stir it together with the curry paste. Add 4 cups cold rice and stir-fry until the curry mixture is evenly distributed and the rice is heated through.

Step 5: Season and finish

Add 1 cup warmed peas, the cooked protein and eggplant, 1–2 tbsp fish sauce, 1–2 tbsp oyster sauce, and 1–2 tbsp brown sugar. Toss everything together and taste. Add more fish sauce, oyster sauce, or brown sugar to suit your taste.

Turn off the heat. Stir in 1 cup Thai basil leaves, if using, and sprinkle 2 thinly slivered makrut lime leaves over the top. Serve warm and enjoy!

Additions and Substitutions

• Rice: Day-old jasmine rice is great. Freshly cooked rice can work if you spread it out to cool and dry a little first. Don’t have rice? Use noodles and make my Green Curry Spaghetti recipe!
• Protein: Use chicken, pork, or tofu. Cut it into similar-sized pieces so it cooks evenly.
• Thai eggplant (or veggie of choice): Purple eggplant, bell peppers, carrots, cabbage, kale, anything really you want to use up in your fridge.
• Green peas: Chopped green beans or any other veggie you have on hand to use up.
• Coconut milk: Just leave it out if you don’t have it and the green curry flavor will be more intensified.
• Thai basil: Italian basil, or cilantro.
• Makrut lime leaves: Leave them out.
• Green curry paste: Don’t have green curry paste? Make my Thai Curry Fried Rice recipe!

Tips for the Best Green Curry Fried Rice

Green Curry Fried rice can be trickier than it looks to make, so make sure you look over my 5 tips for cooking fried rice before you get started to avoid goopy fried rice.

1. Start with a day old, or few days old rice.
2. Keep the rice grains separated while stir-frying.
3. Don’t add too much sauce.
4. Chop your ingredients into uniform, bite-sized pieces.
5. Figure out beforehand what ratio of rice to other ingredients you’d like. 

Behind the Green Curry Fried Rice Recipe

“What’s your favorite Thai dish?” I’ll ask my American friends.

“Green curry!” “Massaman curry!” “Red curry!” is usually what I hear. Would you say that too?

I totally get why!

Especially for American tongues, the thick, coconut milk Thai curry sauce takes us back to cozy, creamy American comfort food. Every bite feels like getting a hug from sweet, cuddly grandma.

But as I’ve said before in my Thai Green Curry recipe, my Thai Hubby doesn’t have the same fondness for Thai curries that I or most Americans do.

Isn’t that soooooo sad???

But green curry fried rice is a different story! Yay!

Thai Hubby devoured my version, and then the next afternoon said, “Wow! That green curry fried rice last night was really good! Can you make that again tomorrow?”

I think Thai Hubby loves it because instead of slurping up the Thai green curry flavor in the sauce, it gets super intensified in the rice and protein.

So compared to regular Thai green curry, you get even more of that spicy, savory, sweet green curry flavor in every bite of fried rice.

Want to try green curry another way? Try it as a quick weeknight dinner in my Easy Thai Green Curry Spaghetti!

And if you don’t have green curry paste, check out my Thai Curry Fried Rice recipe and use whatever curry paste you have!

Green Curry Fried Rice Frequently Asked Questions

What to serve with Green Curry Fried Rice

Green Curry Fried Rice is great on its on or served alongside Thai dishes like:

• Thai Egg Rolls: my kids favorite side!
• Thai Vegetable Stir-Fry: packed with refreshing veggies, and easy to make on a weeknight!
• Thai Omelette : my favorite easy side for any meal!

Let’s Stay in Touch, Dear!

And if you want to learn how to make it in person, come join one of my Thai cooking classes in Boone, NC!

Love learning Thai kitchen tips? Sign up for my Thai-Foodie Substack newsletter and get my free Substitution Hacks Guide download, your cheat sheet for swapping Thai ingredients no matter where you live!

If you make it, I want to see! Take a pic and tag me on Instagram @thaifoodie!

Print

This post contains links to affiliate websites, such as Amazon, and I receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you using these links. I appreciate your support!