Fried rice? I’m so there. I could have fried rice for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I’m serious. I have a deep love for this food and always ordered it if my parents took us out to a Chinese, Thai, or sushi restaurant as kids. It was something I’ve always drifted to on any menu in front of me. Do you blame me? Don’t deny it, we all love fried rice. Even now, I love to order a plate of fried rice as a side to any dish at an asian restaurant.
Pineapple is something I’ve always drifted to in asian cuisine as well. I think the sweet tangy acidity pairs so well against a savory soy sauce. It’s also my favorite to add to a coconut curry. It’s only fitting I created my own fried rice recipe with pineapple involved. Yum!
My few tips in making fried rice at home is to keep the wok screaming hot and don’t skimp on the oil. A lot of asian cuisine is cooked quickly under hot temperatures. These two things are so important to slightly crisp the outside of the rice and to stop everything from sticking. Another tip would be to be sure to allow the rice to cool completely. If the rice is freshly made and super hot, it won’t cook the same. It will become mushy and stick together too much.
What should you pair this with?
PINEAPPLE BASIL FRIED RICE
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves: 3
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
- 1 carrot julienned
- 1 serrano chili, small dice
- 1/2 cup snow peas
- 3/4 cup pineapple chunks (canned or fresh)
- 1 cup basil, chiffonade
- 1/2 small yellow onion, large dice
- 1/4 cup peanuts
- 2 eggs
- Scallions for garnish
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
DIRECTIONS:
- Cook jasmine rice according to package instructions. Let cool completely.
- In a small bowl mix together sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Set aside.
- Heat a wok or large tall sided pan to medium high heat. Add in vegetable oil, carrot, serrano, snow peas, pineapple and peanuts. Cook for about 4 minutes or until vegetables are slightly tender. Stir throughout. Push aside vegetables to one side of the wok. Crack both eggs on the empty side and cook till almost done, about 1 minute.
- Add in the cooked rice right on top of the eggs. Mix together everything in the wok. Pour in the sauce and stir together. Let the rice sit without stirring for just a minute. This will give the rice that fried rice crispness. After that, continue to stir for a few more minutes until rice has soaked up all the sauce.
- Turn off heat and add in basil. Serve hot with scallions, sriracha or spicy mayo.
TIP: If you want to add a protein like chicken: the chicken will be the first thing in the wok along with the vegetable oil. Cook it till it is about half way cooked through and then proceed with the vegetables and pineapple. Cook everything else according to recipe.