Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
A popular Thai dish bursting with flavours of curry powder, pops of fresh pineapple and crunchy cashews. Serve in a pineapple bowl for that extra "wow" factor. It's quick and easy, with the option to use coconut rice for extra richness.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ teaspoon curry powder, see note 1
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon shrimp paste in oil, optional, see note 2
- 3 tablespoon neutral oil
- 12 medium to large shrimp, or as many as you want, peeled and deveined, see note 3
- 2 eggs
- 375 grams cooked jasmine rice or coconut rice, recipe follows, see note 4
- ½ cup small diced onions
- 1 cup fresh pineapple, ½" x ½" x 1" pieces
- 2 tablespoon raisins, optional
- ½ cup roasted cashews, unsalted
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 roma tomato, 1-inch diced
- Pineapple bowl for serving, optional
- Cucumber slices for serving, optional
- Toasted shredded coconut for serving, optional, see note 5
Coconut Rice
- ¾ + ⅛ cup uncooked jasmine rice
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup coconut milk
Notes
- My preferred curry powder is the Japanese S&B brand, though any generic curry powder will also work as long as you like how it smells!
- Shrimp paste in oil is shrimp tomalley (fat) that has been cooked with some seasoning and herbs. See video for what the jar looks like. If using coconut rice, try to drain off most of the oil from the shrimp paste to avoid making the rice too oily.
- To sub chicken, slice 8 oz (225 g) chicken breast or thighs into 1 cm strips, then marinate in 2 teaspoon soy sauce, ¼ teaspoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon water for at least 15 minutes. Cook it the same way as the shrimp.
- Using coconut rice instead of plain rice in this dish adds a richness and makes the rice much easier to separate in the wok. The recipe for the coconut rice provided should yield just about the 375 g of cooked rice that you need.
- Using coconut rice adds richness, but it won't taste coconutty. If you want it to taste coconutty, top the fried rice with some toasted dried shredded coconut.
Instructions
For the coconut rice (optional)
- Cook it as you would normal jasmine rice, in the rice cooker or stovetop. There's no need to mess with cooling it down because the coconut rice will spread so easily in the wok, so just fluff it and leave it at that. In fact, refrigerating coconut rice will make the rice stick together more as the coconut fat congeals.¾ + ⅛ cup uncooked jasmine rice, ½ cup water, ½ cup coconut milk
For the Pineapple Fried Rice
- If making a pineapple bowl for serving, check out the video for a tutorial on how to make a pineapple bowl AND cut perfect pineapple pieces for the fried rice all in one go.
- Combine curry powder, white pepper, sugar and salt and stir to break up the curry powder. This will make it much easier to distribute the curry powder into the rice evenly.1 ½ teaspoon sugar, 1 ¼ teaspoon curry powder, ½ teaspoon white pepper, ¼ teaspoon table salt
- Combine the soy sauce, fish sauce and shrimp paste in oil (if using) in a small bowl.2 teaspoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 ½ teaspoon shrimp paste in oil
- In a wok or a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoon of neutral oil until hot over high heat. Sear the shrimp without stirring until they're at least halfway done and slightly browned on the underside; flip and cook the other side just until done. Turn off the heat and remove the shrimp from the pan, leaving all the oil behind.3 tablespoon neutral oil, 12 medium to large shrimp, or as many as you want
- Add more oil to the wok if needed, then add the eggs and scramble slightly. When the egg is half way cooked, add the rice and onions and toss to mix.2 eggs, 375 grams cooked jasmine rice or coconut rice, ½ cup small diced onions
- Add the dry seasoning and the fish sauce + soy sauce and toss until the rice grains are evenly coated in the seasoning.
- Toss in the pineapple and raisins (if using) then allow the rice to sit undisturbed for 10-15 seconds to allow the rice to toast and brown slightly. Toss everything and repeat the toasting process a few more times.1 cup fresh pineapple, 2 tablespoon raisins
- Turn off the heat and stir in the cashews, tomatoes and green onions. Serve on a plate or in a pineapple bowl for a "touristy" version, and add a garnish of cucumber slices and/or shredded coconut, if desired. Enjoy!½ cup roasted cashews, 2 green onions, 1 roma tomato
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