Khao Pad

Khao pad is day-old rice stir-fried hard and fast with egg, garlic and fish sauce. It is Thailand's everyday fried rice, plain enough on its own that almost any protein — chicken, shrimp, crab — can be folded in without changing what the dish fundamentally is.

What it really is

Rice cooked the day before and left to dry out slightly in the fridge fries far better than rice made fresh, since the drier grains separate in the hot wok instead of clumping into a sticky mass. Garlic hits the wok first, followed by egg scrambled just enough to break into loose curds, then the rice itself, tossed hard and fast over high heat with fish sauce and a little soy for colour, finishing with spring onion stirred through at the last moment.

Day-old rice is not a shortcut, it's the actual technique. Freshly cooked rice holds too much moisture and turns gummy the instant it hits a hot wok; the slightly dried-out texture of rice that's rested overnight is what lets each grain fry separately rather than steaming into a clump.

How it is served

• On a plate, often with a wedge of lime and cucumber slices on the side.
• With a small dish of fish sauce and chilli for guests to season further.
• As a main course, sometimes topped with a fried egg.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the egg and the fish sauce.
• List whatever protein is folded in, since chicken, shrimp and crab versions are all common and priced differently.
• Say if it's made with day-old rice, since that detail is a genuine mark of a properly made version.