T his gently seasoned rice has become such a comfort blanket that I now make it at least once a week at home. That’s quite surprising, really, given that I’m guilty of drowning most of my food in chilli crisp oil, but this rice is so delicate yet flavourful that it’s just the gentle hug I need. The key is to cook the aromatics slowly and quietly in the oil, to soften and infuse, but not colour too quickly. Cook the jasmine rice in advance, if you like – it fries better once it has been cooked and cooled. Alternatively, packs of pre-cooked microwave rice work brilliantly.
4 tbsp neutral oil 4 garlic cloves , peeled and finely sliced 30g ginger , peeled and cut into thin matchsticks 1 bunch spring onions , trimmed and cut into 1cm slices 500g cooked jasmine rice ¼ tsp white pepper 2 tbsp fish sauce 1½ tbsp soy sauce Sea salt 2 large eggs , whisked 150g white crab meat
Put the oil in a wok or large frying pan and add the garlic, ginger and spring onions. Pop on to a low heat and leave for eight to 10 minutes – you want to infuse the oil slowly, so the spring onions turn tender and the garlic and ginger are lightly golden. Turn up the heat to medium-high, add the cooked rice and fry for a minute. Stir in the white pepper, fish sauce and soy sauce, and fry for two minutes, so it’s all combined and the rice is piping hot.
Season the whisked eggs and pour over the top of the rice. Give them a minute to start setting, then drag the eggs through the rice – you don’t want clumps of egg, rather a ripple of it throughout the dish. Fork through the crab meat, cook for a further minute, then take off the heat. Check the seasoning, and add more salt, soy or fish sauce as you wish. Serve straight away.
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