Asians love rice — it’s a known fact and I assure you, we can’t go for too long without it (I can attest to this fact when I started living in Belgium). Trust me, there are only so many potatoes I can eat until I start screaming for rice; that being said, I make it a point to cook my own and one of my favorite rice dishes would be Thailand’s famous pineapple fried rice recipe!
I also love the variants served in Chinese restaurants, but I’ve come to love the signature rice dish of Thailand more. After all, it’s a lot less oily, and not only is it such a sweet ‘tropical’ dish but it’s also a hit for vegetarians! (Not to mention that it can serve as a complete meal in itself!)
Don’t let the name nor the photos fool you because though you would expect it to be such a pineapple-y plate, it will actually surprise you with the balanced notches of spiciness and mild sweetness — much like how Thai cuisine is supposed to be! After all, their style of cooking is known for mixing and balancing the four tastes in their every dish: sour, salty, spicy, and sweet.
So the recipe I’ll be providing below is as close to the authentic local Thai pineapple fried rice dishes that I have tried in my travels to Bangkok and Chiang Mai! The basic ingredients do not include any meat or seafood, but feel free to add them if you want to (rest assured, I have mentioned them as optional items and steps in the recipe below).
Without further ado, here’s the recipe that’s sure to remind you of the wonderful flavors of Thailand!
Ingredients
» Main
4 cups cooked, one-day-old jasmine brown or white rice (see *Note 1)
3 tablespoons chicken broth or stock
3 tablespoons fish sauce
½ tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp sugar
½ cup Coconut Milk (or just use coconut oil, or any other oil)
2 shallots or 1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 small bird’s eye chili, minced or deseeded
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup fresh pineapple, diced (see *Note 2)
½ cup unsalted cashew nuts, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
½ cup green peas
» Optional
150g shrimps or sliced chicken breast/thighs (optional)
2 small tomatoes, diced (optional)
Raisins (optional)
1 scallion (optional)
Cilantro leaves (optional)
Lime (optional)
» Cooking Tools
Large wok iron skillet or non-stick frying pan
Bowl
Instructions
Combine the chicken broth, fish sauce, oyster sauce, curry powder, and sugar in a bowl. Set aside.Pour the coconut milk into the wok or a pan on medium heat and cook until the oil surfaces.Add shallots/onion, garlic, and chili. Stir-fry for a minute. (If you want to add the optional shrimps, fry them at this point — if it becomes too dry, add a bit of broth or water).Push the mixture aside in the pan to make some room for the eggs in the next step.Add the beaten eggs to the clear space, stirring frequently until they are scrambled. (You can add the optional tomatoes here if you want to).Once the eggs are cooked, mix them with the previous shallot mixture. Toss around for a few seconds. Take them out of the wok and set them aside in a bowl.Put the pineapple and red pepper in the wok. Cook and stir constantly until the pineapple is caramelized (about 3 minutes)Add the cashews and stir fry for about 30 seconds.Put the shallot mixture back into the wok and then add the sauce you mixed in step #1. Quickly mix it well.Add the rice, breaking up any chunks, and ensure that it mixes with everything. Don’t forget to scoop the rice from the bottom.— TIP: The style of stir-frying is not so much as stirring, as it should be more like tossing it around.Add the peas as well as raisins if you like those. Toss to combine everything and then taste (adjust the seasoning if necessary). Do the tossing for about 2 minutes. You can add half of the sliced scallions.Transfer the rice to a plate (or the halved pineapple!) and sprinkle the scallion and some cilantro leaves.
Notes
*Note 1: To avoid having mushy fried rice, you need to use one-day-old chilled rice because this will not clump together when cooking (1 and ½ cups of uncooked rice makes about 4 cups of cooked rice).
Wanna make instant “day-old” rice? After cooking it, spread it out on a tray and let it cool. Afterward, freeze it for 1 hour and then thaw.
*Note 2: You can also use canned pineapple but it’s best to use a fresh one! When using fresh pineapple, set aside the hollow half of the pineapple skin as it can serve as a ‘tray’ for the rice later on.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 550Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 160mgSodium: 1300mgCarbohydrates: 70gFiber: 5gSugar: 15g
(The nutritional values indicated are the total estimates for the whole serving yield).
• • •
Overall
I hope this Thai pineapple fried rice recipe suits your tastes!
Let me know in the comments section below what you think of this dish.
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