Thai Jasmine Rice with Vegetables and Cashews Recipe
Colorful, crunchy vegetables, toasted cashew nuts and fragrant jasmine rice – this simple dish is reminiscent of Thai street-style fried rice, but in a vegetarian and mild version. Ideal for a quick weekday lunch when you want something warm but not heavy.
This dish is reminiscent of Thai street-style fried rice, but in a milder, vegetarian version packed with crunchy vegetables and cashew nuts. Fragrant jasmine rice gives it a distinctive, slightly floral aroma that’s hard to confuse with other varieties. Thanks to the contrasts – soft rice, crisp vegetables, toasted nuts – every bite has an interesting texture.
Why this version works
- The rice is cooked and cooled before frying, so it stays fluffy instead of turning sticky.
- The vegetables go into a very hot pan and are fried briefly, so they keep their colour and crunch.
- The nuts are toasted separately, so they don’t soften in the sauce and add a clear, contrasting crunch.
Chef's tips
If you’re using day-old rice, break up any clumps with your fingers before frying – it will heat through faster and coat more evenly with the sauce. If the dish tastes too salty, don’t dilute the sauce with water; instead, add a bit more rice or brighten everything up with a squeeze of lime. Also be careful not to overcrowd the pan with vegetables – if you have a lot, fry them in two batches instead of letting them stew in their own juices.
How to serve
Serve in bowls with a lime quarter for squeezing and fresh coriander or chives on top. It’s a great base for a fried egg, sautéed tofu or leftover roast chicken if not everyone eats vegetarian. It also works well in a lunchbox, as it’s easy to reheat in a pan or microwave.
Watch out for
- Don’t add hot, freshly cooked rice straight to the pan, as it easily clumps together into one mass.
- Don’t walk away while toasting the nuts; it only takes seconds for them to go from golden to burnt.
- Don’t overload the pan with vegetables; if needed, fry them in two batches or they’ll start to steam instead of fry.
Substitutions
- You can swap jasmine rice for long-grain basmati; it will be less floral but still nice and fluffy.
- Cashews can be replaced with peanuts or slivered almonds, also lightly toasted.
- Instead of frozen peas you can use green beans cut into pieces or well-drained canned corn.
Ingredients
- rice jaśminowy - 200 g
- water - 350 ml
- bell pepper czerwona - 1 piece
- courgette - 1 piece
- carrot - 1 piece
- frozen green peas - 80 g
- unsalted cashew nuts - 60 g
- soy sauce sojowy - 3 tablespoons
- lime juice - 1.5 tablespoons
- garlic - 2 cloves
- oil roślinny - 2 tablespoons
- chives or spring onion - 2 tablespoons
- sugar - 0.5 teaspoons
Preparation
- Rinse the rice in a sieve under running water, rubbing the grains with your hand until the water is almost clear. Drain thoroughly – the grains should be just damp, with no standing water.
- Transfer the rice to a pot, pour in the measured water, cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. When the surface starts to bubble vigorously, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10–12 minutes, until the water disappears from the top.
- Turn off the heat and leave the rice covered for another 5 minutes to finish steaming. Then transfer it to a plate or shallow dish, fluff with a fork and leave to cool completely until the grains are loose and separate.
- In the meantime, cut the bell pepper, courgette and carrot into thin matchsticks or strips of similar thickness so they cook evenly. Finely chop the garlic and slice the chives.
- In a large frying pan or wok, dry-toast the cashew nuts for 3–4 minutes over medium heat, shaking the pan often. When they are golden and very fragrant, immediately transfer them to a bowl so they don’t darken too much.
- In the same pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and fry for 30–40 seconds, stirring, until it turns translucent and very fragrant but does not brown – it should stay pale.
- Add the carrot and fry for 2–3 minutes, until it softens slightly at the edges. Then add the bell pepper and courgette and cook for another 3–4 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender on the outside but still a bit crunchy and brightly coloured.
- Add the frozen peas and fry for 1–2 minutes, until the peas are bright green and hot in the centre. If the pan becomes very dry, add 1–2 tablespoons of water so nothing burns.
- In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, lime juice and sugar until the crystals dissolve. The sauce should be distinctly salty with a citrusy note and a gentle sweetness.
- Add the cooked, cooled rice to the vegetables, breaking up any clumps with a fork or spatula. Pour in the sauce and stir for 2–3 minutes over medium heat, until every grain is hot, fluffy and lightly glossy.
- Finally, add most of the cashews and the chopped chives. Toss briefly just to combine. Serve straight away, sprinkling the rest of the nuts over each portion for extra crunch.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
I like this rice best when I make it from a “leftover mix” of vegetables from the fridge – the more colourful it is, the better it looks on the plate. For my own portion I often add extra chilli flakes, leaving the rest milder for the household.
