Fried rice is a great way to use up leftover rice, and this pineapple fried rice recipe has a bit of tropical or South East Asian inspiration behind it. You can add or change ingredients to suit your preference – because at the end of the day fried rice dishes are the ultimate ‘clean out the veggie crisper’ meal.
Originally I was going to call this Thai Pineapple Fried Rice, as it’s one of the most popular dishes tourists get when they visit Thailand. Even on my many trips there I’ve always gotten it at least once. However this version is not a super authentic version since I left out a few key ingredients. Hey, sometimes you just crave something and don’t care if it is exactly the same. So, I’m not going to say this is an authentic version, just an easy way of making tasty pineapple fried rice.
If You Want Super Authentic Thai Recipes Try:
- THAI YELLOW CURRY WITH CHICKEN
- PRAWN PAD THAI
- PAD KRA PAO (THAI HOLY BASIL CHICKEN STIR FRY)
- MASSAMAN CURRY
- PAD SEE EW
Fried rice is a great way to use up leftover rice, and in fact is best made the day after. This is because the rice dries out a bit which makes it fry up even better. However, if you want fried rice the same day here’s a trick. After boiling/steaming your rice, lay it on a baking tray and spread it out. Place it in the oven at 100 Celsius for an hour, fluffing it every 20 minutes. This helps to dry out the rice so you can make fried rice the same day.
How To Make Thai Style Pineapple Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rice a long grain rice like Jasmine works well here
- 1/2 Pineapple chopped into bite size pieces (see pictures)
- 2 tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
- 1/2 Yellow Onion
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Red Chili Flakes
- 1 tsp Cilantro ripped
- 2 tbsp Pine Seeds traditional will use cashews, but I didn’t have any so you can sub for pine seeds if you want.
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil or a neutral oil if you prefer
Instructions
For proper pineapple fried rice, you really should use a fresh pineapple. For this recipe I use half a pineapple, cut up into little bite size pieces. After drying out your rice and chopping up the pineapple, the rest of the recipe can be done in less than 10 minutes!
In a pan on medium high heat add a couple tbsp of olive oil (or neutral oil if you prefer). Add in the pineapple pieces along with some red chili flakes and let caramelize. I usually toss the pan every minute or so, but you want to let the pineapple touch the hot pan long enough to start to crisp up on the edges. Once the pineapple is almost done I add in chopped onion. Authentic Thai Pineapple Fried Rice will sometimes use bell or thai birds eye peppers (depending on how spicy it should be), but I didn’t have any on me.
Once the pineapple and onion is done (about 5 minutes) I add in the rice. Just pour all the rice in, you can break it up once it’s in the pan. For seasonings I use a tbsp of Dark Soy Sauce and a tbsp of regular Soy Sauce. I also add in two tbsp of Sweet Chili Sauce. Just mix everything together and let sit in the pan for a minute, stir or toss, and let sit some more until the rice begins to fry. Then remove and plate! I garnish the plate with the pineapple fronds, but you can even serve the dish in a hollowed out pineapple the way they serve tourists on the islands!
Want a more takeout style fried rice? Try my Chinese American Style Chicken Fried Rice
Pineapple Fried Rice
Equipment
- Pot
- Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rice a long grain rice like Jasmine works well here
- 1/2 Pineapple chopped into bite size pieces (see pictures)
- 2 tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
- 1/2 Yellow Onion
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Red Chili Flakes
- 1 tsp Cilantro ripped
- 2 tbsp Pine Seeds traditional will use cashews, but I didn't have any so you can sub for pine seeds if you want.
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil or a neutral oil if you prefer
Instructions
- Make the rice, I use 1.5 cups of water per 1 cup of rice. If you want to use the rice the same day then see step two, otherwise just put it in a container and into the fridge overnight.
- Spread out the rice in a thin sheet on a baking tray. Set your oven to convection at 80 Celsius and place the ray on a middle rack. Fluff the rice every 20 minutes.
- In a pan on medium high heat add the oil and the pineapple pieces. Also add in the red chili flakes. Let the pineapple caramelize for a minute or two, then toss the pan and let them caramelize on the other side. Add in the onion and garlic after the first couple minutes.
- Add in all the rice along with the dark and regular soy sauce. Also add in the sweet chili sauce. Give everything a good mix and let the rice fry in the pan for a few minutes, tossing the pan every 30 seconds to a minute.
- Mix in some pine seeds (better cashews if you have them) and plate. I garnish with a few pineapple fronds, but you can serve the rice in the hollowed out pineapple if you want.
Notes
