Thai Fried Rice

1. Combine rice and water (2 1/2 cups for brown rice; 2 cups for white rice) in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed (40 to 45 minutes for brown rice; 20 minutes for white). Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork, spread the rice on a large baking sheet and let cool at least 15 minutes.

2. Thinly slice pork chop crosswise, then cut each slice into long, thin strips about the width of a matchstick. Place a large flat-bottom carbon-steel wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and swirl to coat the pan, add garlic. Cook, stirring, until just starting to change color, about 20 seconds. Add the pork and cook, stirring, until it is no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon to a clean plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the wok. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they soften, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Sprinkle in the cooked rice and stir-fry, tossing and then pressing it against the hot wok, then tossing and pressing again, until all the rice has been exposed to the hot wok, about 1 minute. Add scallions, fish sauce and the cooked pork and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

4. Transfer the fried rice to a platter. Garnish with cilantro leaves, lime wedges and cucumber slices.

Tips

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare rice (Step 1), cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Tip: Fish sauce is a pungent Southeast Asian condiment made from salted, fermented fish. Find it in the Asian-food section of well-stocked supermarkets and at Asian specialty markets. We use Thai Kitchen fish sauce, lower in sodium than other brands (1,190 mg per tablespoon), in our recipe testing and nutritional analyses.

Give grains a cooldown: To cool grains down quickly, spread them out on a foil-lined baking sheet. The surface area helps speed cooling, while the foil prevents any residual flavors on the pan from seeping in.