What would you make if you had to make something with some pineapple juice, basil and cinnamon?
How about some Thai pineapple fried rice?
I made this recipe as part of my Blogger Friends Cook-off recipe that I hosted over on IG. About 12 food bloggers on IG came up with our own version of recipes using these three ingredients. In times like these when grocery shopping is not the everyday luxury it once used to be, coming up with recipes from random things you find in your kitchen is quickly becoming a very important skill to have!
I decided to give my ingredients a Thai twist.
Thai Pineapple fried rice is probably one of my favourite kinds of fried rice. I’m a big fan of mixing sweet into my savoury foods especially in Thai cuisine.
The secret to great fried rice is to make sure the rice is day old, not freshly cooked. Or at least, the rice has had a chance to cool completely before stir frying. This will ensure the rice doesn’t get mushy and can withstand a vigorous stir-fry with the other ingredients and sauce. I love cooking my rice with a cinnamon stick to infuse it with extra flavour.
The choice of stir-fry ingredients is totally up to you. Substitute any protein you like. I used shrimp, but chicken or tofu will work great. This stir-fry sauce works great on anything. It is also a great way to use up any veggies in the fridge that might be on their last days.
Great to have on its own, or with some red curry.
Check out the other blogger’s creations over on IG, just follow: #bloggerfriendscookoff .
Pineapple Fried Rice
Ingredients
Fried Rice
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1-2 red or green chillies, diced
- 1/2 cup carrot, diced
- 1/2 cup mushroom, sliced
- 6oz shrimp, peeled deveined (try subbing for tofu, or chicken)
- 1/2 cup green pepper, diced
- 4 cups day old cooked rice* (see recipe notes)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup pineapple, diced
- 1/4 cup raw cashew halves
- 5-6 fresh basil leaves
- 2-3 green onion stalks, diced
- cinlantro leaves, for garnish (optional)
Fried Rice Sauce
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 tsp fish sauce (leave out if making this veg)
- 2 tbsp soya sauce (or sub coconut aminos)
- 1 tbsp sweet soya sauce (optional)
- 2 tbsp Pineapple Juice (or 2 tsp brown sugar)
Instructions
Make Stir Fry Sauce
- In a small bowl, mix all the stir fry sauce ingredients together, set aside.
Make the Fried Rice
- Wash, chop all the veggies and measure out all the other ingredients and keep them close by, the stir-fry comes together fast!
- Heat a large non-stick wok on medium high, add the oil.
- Add the two eggs to the oil, and scramble. Once the eggs start to look done, about 1-2 minutes, add the minced garlic and cook till fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the onions, chillies, carrot and mushrooms. Stir-fry the veggies for 1-2 minutes till heated through. Push all the ingredients to the sides of the wok.
- Add cashews and stir-fry for 1-2 mins till starting to toast and get golden, mix into the rest of the stir-fry ingredients and push everything to the side once again.
- Add the shrimp to the centre of the wok. Stir-fry in the centre of the wok till they start to turn pink, then mix in with the rest of the ingredients in the wok.
- Once the shrimp are cooked, add the green peppers, stir fry 1-2 more minutes.
- Add the rice, stir-fry sauce and 1/2 cup water.
- Stir-fry till the rice are all coated in the sauce and some rice grains are starting to turn brown (about 2-3 minutes). You may need to gently break apart any large chunks of rice with your spoon to help it along.
- Add the pineapples. Stir-fry one more minute, then turn off the heat.
- Sprinkle with basil and green onion. Serve immediately.
