The missing ingredient...

[Muchjimmy]

Hi everyone,

 

Ever since I've been to Thailand, I have been in love with Thai food. One dish in particular: fried rice. I have eaten fried rice in Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos and more Asian countries, but in Thailand it seemed so delicious for some reason. For months, I ate it every day in Thailand and after coming back home, I tried to recreate what I saw there (with some help of the internet). 

After many attempts I can make a decent fried rice. However, it always feels as if something crucial is missing. Recently I visited a Thai restaurant and experienced the amazing Thai flavour again. Hopefully somebody will be able to tell me what is missing. I have tried:

- Different kinds of rice (pandan, basmati, jasmine, etc.)

- Serving with lime and tomato

- All kinds of soy sauce/oyster sauce

- Different vegetables (green onion, carrot, pepper, etc.)

- Different cooking oil (sunflower, olive, stir fry oil)

- Tofu/tempeh

- Salt, pepper, and some other spices

 

I always make the rice a day in advance, as well as the tofu/tempeh. It would make me really happy if somebody can give me the key to the great Thai taste, since it is my favourite dish. Thanks in advance!

Jim

[Gweiloman]

High heat. Use gas stove. 

[impulse]

MSG.  Gobs of it.

 

But I don't recommend it...

 

Oh, and don't forget the fresh cilantro (coriander).  That makes all the difference for me...

 

[Muchjimmy]

Thanks to both of you! Will use your tips, maybe MSG is this thing I'm missing ????

[Muchjimmy]

So I bought MSG today and just used it in my fried rice.

 

And, just.... WOW. That's it. It is so incredibly delicious. I guess the flavour I was looking for was umami. Thanks so much for that! 

 

I did read some mixed things about it, though. Can you tell me why you wouldn't recommend it?

 

[metempsychotic]

20 minutes ago, Muchjimmy said:

So I bought MSG today and just used it in my fried rice.

 

And, just.... WOW. That's it. It is so incredibly delicious. I guess the flavour I was looking for was umami. Thanks so much for that! 

 

I did read some mixed things about it, though. Can you tell me why you wouldn't recommend it?

 

Becuase he is clinging to old misinformation.

 

Msg like is like salt, fine when used in moderation.

 

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-msg-got-a-bad-rap-flawed-science-and-xenophobia/

 

Just one of many articles indicate where the bias began.

 

Many still believe it.

 

[Muchjimmy]

4 minutes ago, metempsychotic said:

Becuase he is clinging to old misinformation.

 

Msg like is like salt, fine when used in moderation.

Yeah, I read that people have this idea that MSG causes all kinds of health issues, but that research has proven them wrong. Guess I'll take the risk and just use it sometimes. Thanks for your reply.

[Traubert]

There's no risk. Just don't use the coal shovel to add it.

[SiSePuede419]

In Costa Rica, they made this delicious stir fried rice, black beans and green onions called "Gallo pinto" or painted rooster.  I was eating Vegetarian at the time, so this was consumed frequently.

 

It was available at many roadside street food shacks for a buck or so a bowl.

 

I couldn't figure out why it tasted so much better than the rice and beans I cooked back home.

 

Found out the secret ingredient it was fried in:

 

Lard. ????

 

lard

/lärd/

noun

1. fat from the abdomen of a pig that is rendered and clarified for use in cooking.

 

 

[stephenterry]

Evidence indicates that MSG is safe in moderate amounts. However, megadoses may cause harm.

If you react adversely to MSG, you shouldn’t eat it. That said, if you don’t experience side effects, there’s no compelling reason to avoid it.

Keep in mind that MSG is generally found in processed, low-quality foods — which you should avoid or limit anyway.

If you already eat a balanced diet with plenty of plant based whole foods, you shouldn’t have to worry about high MSG intake.