Pineapple Fried Rice | Sweet & Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice

First things first, remember this post where I asked you guys to vote for my food blog?! I won! I won! I won! 😀 My blog has been chosen as the best food blog of the year 2015 at Nepali Australian Blog Awards. This would have been impossible, if not for you wonderful people I have met through this blogging journey. I feel so honored and humbled 🙂 I thank each and every one of you, who thought I deserved the award and voted up for me. Thank you so much once again! It is such a confidence boost for someone like me 🙂

Now over to today's recipe! 🙂

Pineapple, another tropical fruit that is easily available during the summers. I love pineapple but I can’t have it in excess – my throat starts to itch and my voice turns hoarse soon 🙂 To satiate my pineapple craving and to keep eating it all through the year in small quantities, a few years back I tried Pineapple Jam. Now that I look at the pictures, I know they aren’t at all that good but this blog is nothing but a proof of my food journey. Also, it is the recipe that matters the most 🙂 If you love Pineapple, do try out Virgin Pina Colada or Grilled Pineapple – perfect for this summer weather!

Pineapple being a fruit is usually made into desserts or juices. In South Indian cuisine, especially during weddings, the meal is not complete without Pineapple Kesari. I absolutely love it and make it quite often at home – a recipe for some other day. There are also a number of savory dishes from Pineapple based gravies to Chutneys. Although I have not tasted them myself, I plan to try them very soon in my kitchen.

Today’s recipe is a twist on the classic Indo-Chinese Fried Rice. With the addition of diced pineapple slices, the fried rice is good cross between the sweet and savory. When I decided to make Pineapple Fried Rice at home, the husband was too reluctant to the idea. Even I was not too sure myself, adding in sweet pineapple to stir fried rice. But then, I decided to give it a go and am I glad or what that we made it? It was one of the best fried rice recipes I have ever tried in my kitchen. With the spicy punch from fresh red chillies to slight sourness + sweetness from pineapple pieces, added to it the crunch of the vegetables, it was super tasty. With no further ado, here is how I made it.

To make Pineapple Fried Rice | Sweet & Spicy Veg Fried Rice

Servings: 2
Time: 30 mins
Difficulty: Easy
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What I used –

Cooked Basmati Rice, 2 cups
Pineapple Chopped, ¾ cup
Mixed Vegetables Chopped, 1 cup (I used Carrots, French Beans and Cabbage)
Shallots/Onion Chopped, ½ cup
Garlic Pods, 8-10
Fresh Red Chilies, 6-7 (I used Bird’s Eye Chilies that are tiny)
Brown Sugar, 1 tsp
Soy Sauce, 2 tsp
Red Chilli Sauce, 1 tsp
Curry Powder, 1 tsp
Salt, as required
Oil, 2 tbsp
Fresh Spring Onion Chopped, 3 tbsp
Fresh Coriander Leaves Chopped, 2 tbsp

Pineapple Fried Rice

How I made –

1. In a pan, heat oil. Add finely chopped garlic and red chillies. Fry for 10-20 secs on medium flame. Add finely chopped shallots/onions. Once slightly fried, add diced vegetables. Stir fry on low/medium flame for 2-3 mins.

2. Add brown sugar and let the vegetables get cooked till half done. Add soya sauce and red chilli sauce. Fry for a min. Add diced pineapple pieces, half of fresh chopped spring onion and curry powder.

prep2

3. Give the vegetables a quick stir and continue to stir fry for a couple of minutes. On low flame, add cooked and cooled down rice. Gently mix everything together. Check for salt and finely add the rest of the spring onion and finely chopped coriander leaves.

prep3

4. Serve hot with a sprinkle of fresh coriander/spring onions.

Note –

The rice has to be cooked and cooled down. For cooking the rice in pressure cooker, I add two cups of water for 1 cup of rice along with a few drops of oil and salt required for rice. Cook for three whistles and open up after the pressure drops. Let the rice completely cool down before stirring it in. This will ensure that the rice is not clumpy.
To cook the rice in an open pot, bring atleast 4 cups of water to boil with enough salt and 1tsp of oil. Add the rice and cook al-dente. Strain the excess water. Let the rice cool down on a large plate.
The rice has to be completely cooled down for making perfect fried rice.
Since I was making fried rice on a nonstick pan, I didn’t use high flame. I slow cooked my veggies, that way – not a lot of oil is needed.
I used shallots in the recipe but they can be replaced with regular onions.
For added crunch, roasted peanuts or cashews can be added.
I cut my vegetables into long slices or strips and don’t cook them completely. The veggies need to have a crunch to them for the perfect fried rice.
Curry powder enhances the flavor of the fried rice and is highly recommended.
Adjust the quantity of chillies as per the desired spiciness.
For making egg version of this, beat egg with a pinch of salt and mix it in once the vegetables are half cooked. Stir fry until the egg is cooked and then add the pineapple pieces.
Don’t cook the pineapple pieces too long as they can become soggy.

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Taking a big bowl of this sweet & spicy pineapple fried rice to Fiesta Friday #123. Hosts for this week are Margy @ La Petite Casserole and Linda @ La Petite Paniere.