Thai-Style Crab Fried Rice

In this comforting dish, fragrant jasmine rice is stir-fried with lots of garlic, scallions, Thai chiles, and fish sauce. Quick-cooking scrambled eggs and picked crabmeat add protein and a hit of sweetness. You can use cooked chopped shrimp or diced lobster meat in place of the crab, or even leftover flaked fish from last night’s dinner.
Cold rice is perfect for fried rice because the grains stay separate and fluffy. Hot, fresh-cooked rice can make the dish mushy and clumpy.

• ¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth or seafood stock

• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

• 1 teaspoon sambal oelek, or hot sauce, plus more for serving

• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

• 4 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

• 4 large eggs, beaten

• 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

• 2 large garlic cloves, minced

• 3 scallions, white and green parts, sliced

• ½ cup frozen peas

• 4 cups cold leftover rice, broken up (see Chef's Tip below)

• 1 cup picked crabmeat (from 2 Dungeness crab clusters or 1 Bairdi crab cluster), cut into bite-size pieces

• Sliced hot Thai chiles or serrano chiles, coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, and lime wedges for garnish

In a small bowl, combine the broth, soy sauce, sugar, fish sauce, sambal oelek, and sesame oil.

In a large wok or nonstick or cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil over high heat. Add the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, just until large curds set, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining peanut oil to the skillet, along with the ginger and garlic, and cook over high heat until fragrant and lightly browned, 10 to 15 seconds. Add the rice, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook, stirring and tossing occasionally, until sizzling, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs, scallions, and peas. Stir the sauce ingredients, add it to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is crispy in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crabmeat and stir-fry just until combined and heated through.

Garnish with chiles, cilantro, and lime wedges and serve right away, passing more sambal oelek on the side.

The next time you make plain white rice, make a double batch and use the leftovers in the next couple of days to make this delicious dish. (For 4 cups of cooked rice, you’ll need 1½ cups dry rice and 2½ cups water.) Or pick up a quart-size container from a Chinese restaurant on your way to work and refrigerate it until you get home. In a pinch, packaged ready rice from the supermarket is a godsend.

The best wines for most Asian dishes are high in acidity. Sauvignon Blanc, with its penetrating acidity and clean tastes, is a good match. So is unoaked Pinot Gris, Spanish Albariños, and sparkling wines from just about anywhere.