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Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Minty Pineapple Fried Rice

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This is a tropical fried rice, not your usual Asian style fried rice. There is no soy sauce or any of the bottled Asian sauces usually used in fried rice recipes such as oyster and stir-fry sauces. Instead, this lighter, healthier version uses coconut oil, fresh ginger, garlic and mint to flavour the dish. The vegetables are whatever you want them to be, I used carrots as well as some baked tofu. Frozen peas would make a nice addition too and if you are not vegetarian I would add some crab meat, shrimps or pork, they all go nicely together with the pineapple. Added bonus for this recipe for being a one pot meal, on this case a wok. As with any fried rice recipe, this dish is a perfect opportunity to clean up your fridge and use up leftovers.

I didn't have any macadamia nuts on hand, but I bet it would taste great here, besides adding a crunch to the texture too. If you decide to use it, just add them at the end.

 

One note on coconut oil: extra-virgin coconut oil is a healthy alternative to hydrogenated oils. It contains healthy fats, no cholesterol and it tastes great.  Here in this dish, the use of coconut oil also contributes to it's tropical theme.

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Minty Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe:

serves 1

This recipe is for one, using only half of a pineapple. Multiply all the ingredients accordingly to make more portions, or use the leftover pineapple and mint to make some delicious juice.

 

You will need:

 

1 whole pineapple or 1/2 cup of fresh pineapple chunks (see note bellow)

1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil (or, if not available, substitute canola oil)

1/2 teaspoon of fresh ginger, finely chopped (or more to taste)

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 piece of baked tofu, cubed (about 1 cup total)

1/2 cup of day old brown rice

1 tablespoon of fresh, chopped mint

 

Using a wok or a very large skillet, heat coconut oil over medium high heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add carrots and (any other vegetables you might use), tofu and rice and stir it around the hot wok until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add pineapple and stir for another 2 minutes. Add mint and sir well. Fill pineapple half with the fried rice, if using and serve immediately.

 

Note:

If using the pineapple as serving dish, cut the entire pineapple in the middle lenghwise, including the crown. Carefully cut off the inside of the fruit, leaving about a 1/2 inch border. Use a sharp knife to do that, a grapefruit spoon can be helpful as well. Chop the fruit removed from the pineapple and set aside.

If you are not making the pineapple dish, just use 1/2 cup of fresh pineapple, chopped.

 

 

To make this dish non-vegetarian:

Add shrimp, pork cubes or crab meat to the garlic and ginger and cook it through before proceeding with the recipe. Or add them already cooked along with the vegetables.

 

 

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6 comments:

Deseree said...

haha Rita you're right, we are thinking a like again! :) Your fried rice looks delicious, beautiful presentation.

Lorena said...

This looks delicious! Could I substitute white rice for the brown rice? I know the brown rice is healthier, but many childhood years were spent eating it and I cannot bring my self to eat it anymore.

Rita said...

Lorena - yes, absolutely, white rice works just as well.

test it comm said...

Nice looking pineapple fried rice! I like that you served it in the pineapple shell.

Hungry Jenny said...

Wow, this looks amazing! Fab presentation. Definitely gotta try this one out one day.

x

beth said...

lovely presentation! thanks for sharing. :) bookmarked it for safekeeping to http://cookmarked.com

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