If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you might have not tried Gapao Rice yet.
With this recipe, you can enjoy the best Meatless Gapao Rice dish. Get ready to indulge in a savory and flavorful dish that will leave you wanting more. Let's get cooking!
But first, what's Gapao Rice?
Gapao rice is a popular and flavorful Thai dish made with stir-fried minced chicken and veggies with rice on the side (usually has fried egg on top of rice). In this recipe, we'll be making meatless version.
Ingredient List
Seasoning
Chinese Chili Bean Paste (Doubanjiang, aka Toban Djan)
Fish sauce (or soy sauce)
Oyster sauce (or mushroom or kelp powder)
Dried Chili (optional)
Cooking oil (Sesame oil if you want to Japanize it)
Mirin (optional; this will Japaneze the flavor)
Sugar content (whatever you prefer; I like Agave)
Mix everything as a sauce.
Chili Bean Paste : Fish sauce : Oyster sauce : Sugar = 0.5 : 1 : 1 : 1 ratio. So if you have 2 spoons of Fish sauce, then add 2 spoons of the rest.
Ingredient
200 g Soy meat
1 Red paprika
1 Yellow paprika
1 Green pepper (optional)
1 Onion
1 Thai basil leaves
1-2 Garlic cloves
1 Ginger (optional)
Side ingredient
400 g Cooked rice
Lettuce
This cooks plenty for 2 people, but even if you are cooking for yourself, you can save the rest for next day's lunch.
Cooking Instruction
Chop all the ingredients
In the pan, put cooking oil, stir fry garlic until it bursts some aroma (cook up ginger at this time if you are adding it)
Cook in the order of onions, paprika, then soy meat.
Add the sauce mix to the pan.
Stirfry until the liquid is gone.
Serve with rice and lettuce.
Alternative ingredient options
If you want to customize your meatless gapao rice, you can try using alternative proteins such as seitan or jackfruit for a different twist.
Not a fan of soy meat products?
I like Japanese dehydrated soy meat products, but that is not available to everyone in the world... and you might not have found your favorite soy product. (If you don't like the texture, that's kinda it.)
You can alternatively use eggplant or mushrooms (or both!); if you have access to Chinese eggplant, that might be a better option.
Not fan of fish sauce/soy sauce?
Soy sauce and fish sauce are heavily relied on for Pan-Asian cooking, but you can alternatively use coconut aminos sauce.
Can't do oyster sauce?
Oyster sauce is for extra umami, but you can alternatively use mushroom powder or kelp powder for umami.
Don't wanna do sugar?
For sugar, you can alternatively use any sort of sweetener you prefer. I like to use Agave
Cooking the Rice
To cook the rice for your meatless gapao rice, rinse the rice thoroughly and cook it according to the package instructions. I prefer using a rice cooker for perfectly fluffy rice every time.
Step-by-step instructions for cooking perfect rice
First, rinse the rice thoroughly to remove any excess starch. Then, add the rice and water to a rice cooker or pot following the package instructions. Cook until the rice is fluffy and fully cooked.
Tips for achieving fluffy and flavorful rice
To achieve fluffy and flavorful rice, make sure to rinse it thoroughly before cooking. Use the correct ratio of water to rice and let it steam for a few minutes before serving. Adding a pinch of salt can also enhance the flavor.
