Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large wok or frying pan until hot.
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Dust the shallot or onion slices in cornflour and add to the wok. Cook, for 5-6 minutes until browned and crispy, then remove from the pan and place in a bowl.
2 shallots or 1 small onion, 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
Turn the heat down to medium and add another 1 tbsp of oil to the wok and add in the shrimp paste, garlic, and chilli. Heat for one minute until fragrant, then add in the fish sauce, brown sugar, tamarind, tomato puree, and soy sauce and heat for a further minute.
1 tsp shrimp paste, 2 cloves garlic, 1 red chilli, 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 heaped tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp tamarind, 1 tbsp tomato puree, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
Now add the rice to the wok and cook on a high heat. Use a spatula to ensure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan, and move the rice around so that it's all getting reheated.
900 g (2 lbs) cooked long grain rice
Once the rice is hot (this will take about 5 minutes), push the rice over to the side of the pan and crack one of the eggs into the space. Making sure this bit of the pan is over the heat, fry the egg, giving a mix with the spatula until the egg starts to cook and look scrambled.
5 eggs
Now mix the egg into the rice. Add the spring onions, a pinch of salt and the crispy onions and mix it all together. Reduce the heat to low.
5 spring onions, ¼ tsp salt
Add the remaining oil to a large frying pan and heat until hot, then fry the remaining four eggs until the white is crisp at the edges, but the yolk is still runny. You can baste the egg in the hot oil to make it cook quicker.
Divide the rice between four bowls and top each with a fried egg, then serve. I like to serve mine with some sweet chilli sauce too.
Video
Notes
Can I make it ahead? Yes. I think reheated fried rice actually tastes better! Cook the rice, then spread it out in a large dish (so it will cool quickly) cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Don't leave cooked rice out at room temperature. Bacteria can grow on cooked rice very quickly, so it's important to:
Refrigerate it as quickly as possible
Don't store for more than 24 hours in the fridge, and
Thoroughly reheat it.
Reheat in a wok, over a medium-high heat, moving it around the pan with a spatula, until piping hot throughout. You may need to add an extra splash of oil, as the rice will have absorbed the oil whilst in the fridge.You only need to make the fried eggs just before serving.Can I freeze it? Yes, Cook the rice, then spread it out in a large dish (so it will cool quickly) cover, cool and then transfer to an airtight container and freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as per the instructions above on 'making it ahead'. You'll need to fry the eggs right before serving.Nutritional info is per serving.