Oddly enough, when discovering a bag of frozen pineapple in the freezer, my first thought was not “smoothies”, “pineapple upside down cake” or “yogurt”, but instead…rice! If you have not tried pineapple in a savory dish, believe me, you are missing out. This dish is pretty easy and worth a shot for those with extra pineapple in a can or the freezer somewhere! It’s also a great way to use up extra rice!

Thai Fried Pineapple Rice

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Ingredients
  

  • 3 Tbsp. soy sauce OR 2 Tbsp. veg fish sauce
  • 2 tsp. curry powder
  • 1 can or about 1 1/2 cups of chopped pineapple
  • 3 cups leftover rice or make some and leave it in the fridge for a few hours
  • 1/2 cup of frozen peas
  • 3-4 Tbsp. veggie or not-chicken broth
  • 2 shallots sliced thinly
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 red or green chili chopped thinly (optional, if you like spicy)
  • 1 cup fried tofu about 1/2 block
  • 1 small carrot optional
  • broccoli florets optional
  • 1/2 cup cashews raw or roasted, your preference
  • spring onions optional, for topping
  • cilantro optional, for topping
  • lime wedges optional, for topping

Instructions
 

  • Fry up the tofu (canola or peanut oil would be good, but use whatever you have). I like to add salt and pepper as well. Once well-browned set aside.
  • Whisk together the curry powder and soy/"fish" sauce in a bowl. I've used both massaman curry paste and regular curry powder and liked both, so play around with what you have. I think green curry powder or paste would also be great for this. Set aside.
  • Chop up all your veggies, garlic, shallots, chili, etc. This will make your life easier as they all go into the frying pan pretty quickly.
  • Pour 1-2 Tbsp. oil in a wok or large frying pan and heat to medium-high heat.
  • Add the shallots, garlic and chili and stir for about a minute, until fragrant. If the pan becomes dry, add a bit of the broth to keep everything sizzling.
  • Add tofu and stir, then add carrot, peas and cashews.
  • Stir-fry for 1 minute, again adding broth if necessary when the pan becomes dry.
  • Add the rice and pineapple chunks.
  • Drizzle the soy/"fish" sauce mixture over everything and stir-fry about 3 minutes until the rice starts making popping sounds. Do NOT add anymore broth at this point, as it will just make everything soggy. You want the pan to be hot and dry.
  • Remove from heat and add salt or more soy sauce as desired. To serve, scoop onto a plate and sprinkle with spring onions and cilantro. Serve with slices of lime if desired.
  • Enjoy!

I’ve already made this three times, so good! Though it’s currently way too hot here to even think about turning my oven on…until fall…or air conditioning!