Pineapple Fried Rice

The second bento in my "Pineapple" series is Pineapple Fried Rice. This dish is actually a classic Thai recipe, but I've not followed the usual recipe strictly. 

Fried rice is a great way of using up leftover meat and vegetables you have in the fridge. As I'd made pizza the night before, I had leftover ham, chicken and mushroom. All these went into the fried rice, along with some onion, garlic, one chopped red capsicum, and of course, pineapple. (So... this dish should really be called Pineapple with Leftovers Fried Rice)

There are many variations of fried rice, and people differ as to what they like to include in it. There are things I generally wouldn't include in fried rice (eg. peas or bean sprouts) but there is really no wrong or right, just personal preference. Naturally different countries and cultures have their own traditional style which you can choose to follow - or not! I've included a general method on how to make fried rice, but I've left the actual ingredients open.

Continue reading...

How to Make Fried Rice

Cooked cool rice (great way to use up leftover rice)
Onion (depending on the amount of rice you have, half or one whole onion, chopped)
Garlic (few cloves, chopped)
Meat (optional, but you can include sliced ham, minced chicken/pork, etc.)
Vegetables (whatever you have on hand that can be found in a stir-fry works. Chop or slice everything up into bite-sized pieces, or smaller)
Egg (optional, but it does help bind everything together)
Soya sauce
pepper
Chilli powder (if you want it spicy)

1. Heat up some oil on medium heat in a large frying pan or wok. 
   
2. Add the onion and garlic, fry until fragrant and the onions are translucent. 
   
3. Add the meat, fry until cooked (or re-heated). 
   
4. Add the vegetables, fry until cooked. 
   
5. Add a dash of soya sauce into your cooked rice, stir to loosen up the grains. Then pour the rice into the wok and mix everything together. 
   
6. Move the rice to the sides of the frying pan/wok, leaving the centre exposed. Crack an egg into the centre, and stir the egg, mixing it into the rice until the egg is cooked. 
   
7. Season with pepper, chilli powder or more soya sauce to taste. Serve on its own, or with some crisp fresh lettuce.
   

Tips:

For a Thai variation, add a dash of fish sauce during cooking. For a more fragrant Chinese version, try adding a few drops of sesame oil. For a Japanese omurice style, add some tomato sauce in the rice.

Back