Crab FRIED RICE

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, INTRODUCING MY MOM, PEPPER

THAI!!: “For seafood lovers. I like crabmeat. It’s very expensive,
but at the end of the month, when Daddy got paid, we got
crabmeat. And we fried rice. And we loved it! It’s the best fried
rice. Sometimes I drove all the way to the beach (two hours!) to
get crabmeat. When Chrissy was young, I went crabbing. I
prefer Dungeness crab, but canned crab is fine, too.”

SERVES 4
ACTIVE TIME / 10 MIN
TOTAL TIME / 55 MIN

1⅔ cups raw jasmine rice, or 4½ cups leftover cooked rice

¼ cup peanut or vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths, plus thinly sliced scallion
greens for garnish
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup soy sauce
1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded (see Tip) and cut into
wedges
1 (8-ounce) container lump crabmeat (1½ cups), drained
Kosher salt and ground white pepper
Chili Oil (recipe follows), for drizzling
Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Cook the rice 2 minutes less than the package directions so it is al

dente. Spread the rice on a baking sheet to cool quickly and prevent
it from overcooking and getting mushy. (If you’re using cold
leftover rice, put it in a bowl or on a rimmed baking sheet and break
it up so it’s not in huge clumps.)

In a large wok or very large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-
high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the onion and
cook until just soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the scallions and garlic and
cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the eggs, letting them sit and cook
for 20 seconds until partially set, then add the rice and then the soy
sauce, mixing everything together and breaking up the eggs as you
do. Cook, stirring, until the rice is hot. Add the tomato and crab and
cook until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt
and white pepper. Drizzle with chili oil to taste and garnish with
scallion greens and cilantro.

Tip
HOW TO SEED A TOMATO
Quarter the tomato through the core and use
your fingers to scoop out all the jelly-like liquid
and seeds between the tomato’s inner walls.
Eat it like candy or reserve for another use.
Chili Oil
MAKES 1 CUP
ACTIVE TIME / 1 MIN
TOTAL TIME / 5 MIN

1 cup vegetable oil

2 heaping tablespoons red pepper flakes

In a small saucepan, warm the oil over medium-high heat until a

pepper flake sizzles slightly when you drop it in the oil. Add the red
pepper flakes and cook over the lowest heat possible until fragrant,
3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. The oil will get
spicier the longer it infuses. Store, refrigerated in an airtight
container, for up to 1 month.