Pineapple Fried Rice

This healthy pineapple fried rice is a lovely blend of sweet and savory flavors. A fusion dish with an Asian influence, this pineapple fried rice recipe has it all- carbs, vegetables, fat and spice. This dish is flavored with teriyaki sauce and sweetened with pineapple chunks.

A quick and easy recipe that can be made in less than 30 minutes .It is perfect and healthy for weeknight dinners or a weekend lunch menu.You can skip out the takeout line altogether with this easy recipe made at home.

A bit of Pineapple history

Summer is here , which means the pineapple season is on. The peak season for pineapples are between March and July, when they are at their delicious best, though they are available all through the year.

The pineapples we get here are the Dole variety, coming to us all the way from Hawaii.

The most-visited tourist attraction in the state of Hawaii is the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument (also known as the Pearl Harbor bombing site). The second most visited attraction is about 20 miles north: the Dole pineapple plantation.

 “In peak season between March and July, this tropical fruit evokes the 50th state in the Union for many” says the Smithsonian Magazine.

While its exact origins have yet to be determined, botanists agree that the pineapple originated in the Americas, most likely in the region where Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil meet .

As to how the plant arrived, and was domesticated, in Hawaii is apocryphal.

Some sources point to Spanish sailor Don Francisco de Paula Marin, who arrived in the Islands in the early 1790s. In addition to serving as an interpreter for King Kamehameha I, Marin had a reputation for being an ace horticulturalist credited with introducing citrus and mangoes to the island nation. He does, however, provide us with the first written record of this fruit in the New World, the simple January 1813 diary entry: “This day I planted pineapples and an orange tree.”

The Hawaiian pineapple industry wouldn’t take a turn for the better until the United States’ annexation of Hawaii in 1898 after the Spanish American War and the arrival of 22-year-old Massachusetts native James Dole the following year.

Despite knowing nothing about canning, Dole opened the Hawaiian Pineapple Company in 1901.Dole was certainly not the first to introduce pineapple to the mainland American market. Rather, his business savvy and the economic conditions of the times allowed him to champion the fruit. 

Pineapple was cultivated in Florida, but recurring frosts destroyed the crops and what survived was of sub-par quality. Baltimore had a canning industry, but its fresh fruits were imported from the Bahamas, which heightened production costs due to importation taxes.

With the combination of ideal growing conditions, the consolidation of cultivation and production and advertising that asserted the superiority of Hawaiian pineapple over all competitors.

Hawaii was poised to dominate the canned pineapple trade. And it did. By the 1920s, it developed into a culinary fad, most notably in the form of upside down cake.

By 1923, Dole was the largest pineapple packer in the world.

The Back Story

 The first time I had ever been to a pineapple farm was during summer holidays as a kid. My paternal grand mom always took us grand kids to show us the country side when we visited her during our summer breaks.

One day she sat us up during one of her many evening story telling sessions and asked, “Who among you want to go see the Ananas farm tomorrow? We could also visit the famous Bahubali/Gomateshwara* statue, while there”.

Note : * The monolith of Gomateshwara formed the nucleus around which the Jain Mutt and Basadis/Jain temple or shrine sprang up in the little village, of Karkala in the South Indian state of Karnataka.

This Bahubali/Gomateshwara temple on top of a hill, drew 3 streams – devotees, lovers of art and students of history.

Revered by Jains, the world over, the statue of Gomateshwara stands as a true symbol of their faith.

Many tiny little hands went up, we were always up for the adventure, they made the most memorable summer vacation times for us grandkids.

True to her word, she took us to see the Gomateshwara statue first, which stood 45 feet tall over a small hillock surrounded by luscious greenery all around …..a scenic spot indeed!

This was followed by a visit to the pineapple farm. Up until then I had always thought, these ananas/pineapples were hanging fruits from a bush. I had never really imagined them standing up shining their golden light against the setting sun on top of the plant.

The kind pineapple farmer gave us kids each a ripe pineapple to take home that evening, Needless to say they were delicious to the last bite!

Summer will always have pineapple memories for me. Be it India or in the U.S, a fruit is a fruit is a fruit, packed with summer sunshine and good memories.      

How to make pineapple fried rice?

Now that summer is here and the fresh juicy pineapples are a plenty, I decided to try this fusion dish with an Asian flavor.The Pineapple Fried rice is going to adorn our table today.

Fragrant basmati rice is stir fried with aromatic spices, caramelized onions, ginger, garlic with rich bursts of buttery crunchy cashews and balancing pops of sweet pineapple.It can be served as a tempting side or as the main dish itself.

When paired with spicy seafood or meat, this fried rice serves as a delectable meal for a weekend lunch.

If you are looking for different ways to use your leftover rice, this pineapple fried rice would rank among your favorite choices.

Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe

Pineapple Fried Rice

Recipe by Maya Shetty

Course: FOOD, PINEAPPLE, VEGETARIAN RICE/PULAO/PILAFCuisine: Asian, Fusion Dish, Indian

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Servings

6

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

15

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

466

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

25

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups 2 Basmati Rice

• 2 tbsp 2 Sesame Oil

• 1 1 Ginger finely chopped

• 3 3 -4 Garlic cloves crushed

• 4 4 Green Onion Chopped fine

• 1/2 cup 1/2 Mixed Vegetables

• 1/2 cup 1/2 Red Bell Pepper

• 1 tbsp 1 Red Chili flakes can substitute with sriracha sauce if you need it more spicy

• 10 10 -15 Cashew nuts

• 1 cup 1 Pineapple chunks

• 4 tbsp 4 Teriyaki sauce

Directions

• Wash the rice under running water.Soak it in water and set aside for 20 minutes, while preparing the veggies & fruit. Drain & set aside.
• Next fry the drained rice in sesame oil in a warm wok , before adding it to the pressure cooker with 4 cups of water. Wait for 2 whistles, then remove from fire, Set aside to cool. once cooled , fluff the rice with a fork so it does not stick to each other & set aside.
• Meanwhile in the same wok you used to fry the rice, add more sesame oil, when warm add the spring onions and wait till they turn translucent, next add the veggies, stir them for a few minutes before adding the ginger garlic paste to it. Keep stirring till the raw smell disappears.
• Next add the red chili flakes, along with the red bell pepper, mix them well before adding in the cashews.Fry the cashews till they turn a golden brown.
• To the above then add the teriyaki sauce, followed by the pineapple chunks.Keep stirring , so all the ingredients are glazed and coated with teriyaki sauce.
• Last add the cooked rice to the glazed veggies and fruit.You may adjust the salt as per your taste at this point. Drizzle some sesame oil on top and serve hot with spicy seafood or meat.

Notes

• You can use fresh pineapple for best taste. If you are in a bind and can’t get fresh ones, use canned ones minus the syrup.
• Sesame Oil adds a fabulous flavor to the Pineapple fried rice.
• Toasted unsalted cashews provide a buttery crunchiness to the dish.
• Teriyaki sauce is used in asian cuisines both for glaze and sweetening a dish. It’s a cooking sauce and not a table sauce.

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What can you pair Pineapple fried rice with?

• Mussel Meat Fry
• Marwai/Clam sukka (Mangalorean style)
• Butter Prawns (Malaysian style)
• Prawn Tikka Masala
• Baked Chicken Drumsticks
• Glazed Honey-Lime sriracha Chicken

If you prefer to eat the pineapple fried rice just as is, with no sides you can do so too, or a pick a vegetarian recipe to with, if enjoy the veggies.

The Bottom Line

Are you going to give this Asian influenced Pineapple Fried Rice recipe, a try this summer? If you do, please don’t forget to click a quick snap and share it on your social media with #stirringmyspicysoul to encourage others like you.

Give us your feedback in the comments section below.