Go Back
–+ servings
Turkey Thai Basil Fried Rice in a black bowl on a wooden table
Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Thai Basil Turkey Fried Rice

A quick and easy Thai Basil Turkey Fried Rice recipe is a twist on the traditional Thai Basil Beef combined with Fried Rice! This turkey fried rice is loaded with aromatic flavors from the basil and umami sauce and ready in 30 minutes! Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese, Fusion, Thai
Servings: 3 Servings
Calories: 476kcal
Author: Joyce Lee

Ingredients

  • 450 g ground turkey
  • 1½ tablespoons ginger (grated)
  • 4 cloves garlic (2 tablespoons, grated)
  • 1 medium onion (½ cup, diced)
  • 1 large carrot (1 cup, diced)
  • 1 cup green beans (ends removed, chopped into small pieces)
  • 3 cups cooked white rice (preferably day old, see notes)
  • 1 ¼ cup basil (leaves only, packed)
  • 2-3 birdseye chili (add 1-2 more if you like it spicier - Optional)

Turkey Marinade

  • 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce (or 1 tablespoon fish sauce)
  • 1 clove garlic (approx. 1 teaspoon, grated)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger (grated)

Sauce

Instructions

Marinate the Turkey

  • In a small bowl, combine the ground turkey 1½ tablespoons ginger (grated), 1 clove garlic (grated), 1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce, 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil and mix well.
    Marinate for 15-20 minutes

Preparation

  • Grate 1½ tablespoons ginger, and 4 cloves garlic and set it aside for later.
  • (Optional) Finely chop the chilies and add it to the bowl with the garlic and ginger. Set aside for later.
  • Wash and cut off the tips of the green beans. Chop them into small pieces and set aside for later
  • Wash and dice the carrots into small pieces and place it with the beans and set aside for later.
  • Dice the onions and set aside for later.
  • Gently rinse the basil with water and then separate the basil leaves from the stems and roughly chop the basil leaves and set it aside. Discard the stems.
  • If you are using day-old rice, and it is in big chunks, use your hands to break up the rice into smaller chunks. See Notes if you are not using day-old rice.
    Large clump of rice being broken up into smaller pieces in preparation for Chinese egg fried rice

Making the Sauce

  • In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 ½ tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce, 3 teaspoons honey, and 3 tablespoons water and set it aside for later.
    If you are using sugar instead of honey make sure to dissolve the sugar in the water first before mixing the rest of the sauce ingredients together.

Putting It Together

  • In a large frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and set the heat to medium-high heat.
  • Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add in the garlic, ginger, and chilies (optional) and cook it for 2-3 minutes. (If you are using chilies the fumes in the air will be spicy, be careful not to inhale it)
  • Add in the ground turkey and mix it with the garlic, ginger, and chilies. If water starts to come out of the turkey, that's okay and completely normal. Keep cooking it and breaking it into small pieces until the water has evaporated. Once the water has evaporated, the turkey will start to toast and brown.
  • Once the turkey has browned, add in the onions and cook it for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add in the carrots and beans and mix everything together. Cook it for approximately 5 minutes
  • Add in the rice and mix everything well. If there are large rice chunks, when the rice warms up, use your spatula/utensil to press them flat to break it up. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until all the rice has been mixed well with the ingredients and all the chunks have been broken up into individual grains.
  • Add the sauce and mix well to coat everything in the frying pan. Cook for another 1-2 minutes
  • Turn off the heat and add in the basil. Mix the basil into the fried rice. The residual heat will wilt the basil. You will know it's done when the basil turns dark green. Make sure the basil is spread evenly throughout the rice and not in a big clump before serving.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • To make the best fried rice, it's very important to always use leftover cold rice because it is drier, which will help it not become soggy/mushy. If you are pressed for time or do not have day old rice, you can use fresh rice but put less water into the pot than you normally do when you cook it so that the cooked rice will have a bit less moisture in it. I like to use  ¾ cup of water, for 1 cup of rice. Make sure the rice has cooled before using it in fried rice.
  • For this recipe, Thai basil is recommended but if you cannot find it, you can use regular Italian basil as well.
  • I like using fish sauce in this recipe because it gives the fried rice a bit more flavor since it is a stronger flavor than soy sauce. It can be substituted with soy sauce but you will lose out on a bit of flavor.
  • Oyster sauce is a very important ingredient in this recipe and gives this turkey fried rice dish a lot of umami flavors. If you cannot find it and absolutely must substitute it, then use 1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce mixed with ½ teaspoon of sugar mixed into it.
  • To shave off some time, you can also use frozen vegetables in this dish.

Nutrition

Calories: 476kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 1431mg | Potassium: 785mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 4215IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 3mg