Khao Phat Mu

Ingredients:

Cooked rice	4 cups
Pork	150 grams
Shrimp, shelled and divided	150 grams
Eggs	2 each
Cooking oil	¼ cup
Onion	1 each
Ketchup	2 tablespoons
Sugar	1 tablespoon
Light soy sauce	3 tablespoons
Head cabbage	½ head
Spur chili, sliced	1 each
Spring onions	8 each
Lettuce plant	1 each
Whole lime	1 each

Directions:

• Cut the pork into small pieces and marinate in 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce for a few minutes.
• Cut onion into 1/5-inch-thick slices.
• Heat oil in a wok, fry onions and add the pork, shrimps, ketchup, sugar, and soy sauce. Fry and stir until the pork is well-done and add rice. Continue stirring the rice, scraping the bottom of the wok regularly to prevent the rice from sticking to the wok, until the desired degree of dryness is reached; and set aside.
• Return the wok to the heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil, allow it to heat and break the eggs into the wok. With a spatula, break, spread, and turn the eggs and when done, cut into strips. Add the fried rice, and mix well.

Correct Characteristics of Khao Phat Mu/Kai::

• Cooked rice used for making Khao Phat must not be mushy.
• Good Khao Phat must have easy-to-scatter rice and well-cooked eggs, and well-cooked and tender pork/chicken meat. It must also be fragrant, not smell fishy, and not be greasy.

Cooking Tips:

• Chicken meat must be marinated until it tastes good.
• Rice from the old harvest is preferable for cooking Khao Phat since it is not easy to be mushy. It is better to use hands or wooden spoons rather than scrapers to scatter and spoon rice to prevent rice from becoming mushy.
• Fresh chilies or tomatoes can be added to Khao Phat for additional tastes.

Eating Culture:

This dish can be eaten as breakfast, lunch and dinner or for picnicking. It should be eaten with fresh vegetables such as cucumber and spring onions.

How to Serve:

Spoon the fried rice onto a plate with shreds of chilies, and serve with cucumber, spring onions, cabbage, lettuce and wedges of lime.

Recipe Variations:

If desired, shrimps, crab meat and beef can be used in place of pork or chicken.

Name Derivative :

Khao Phat Mu/Kai is named according to its cooking method – Phat (frying) – and its main ingredients – Khao (rice) and Mu (pork) or Kai (chicken).

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Khao Phat Mu:

Nam Manao (Lime Juice)

Use : as ingredient in Yam, Tom Yam and Kaeng Som and also as beverage.
Medicinal properties :Relieves coughs, sore throat, swollen gum, tooth bleeding, constipation, dizziness, the lack of Vitamin C, and phlegm.

Onion

Use : as ingredient in Yam, Khao Phat and other Thai dishes.
Medicinal properties :Used as an antiseptic, also used against coughs.