Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

5 from 4 votes

This authentic Thai pineapple fried rice recipe has the perfect blend of sweet and savory flavors and is made with fresh pineapples, fish sauce, and curry powder. Served in a stunning pineapple bowl, it's a delicious side dish that will elevate any Thai meal, BBQ, or picnic spread!

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Total Time30

Course: Main, Side

Cuisine: Thai

Servings:

Calories: 614kcal

Author: Joyce Lee

Ingredients

3 cups leftover cold rice
1 cup fresh pineapple (or canned pineapple)
6-8 large shrimp
½ cup frozen vegetables
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
2 cloves garlic
1 onion (or shallots, finely diced, approx. ½ cup)

Pineapple Fried Rice Seasoning

2½ tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce, or a mix of Thai seasoning sauce/Maggi sauce mixed with fish sauce)
½ tablespoon oyster sauce
1½ teaspoons sugar (or kecap manis)
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder (or yellow curry powder)
¼ teaspoon shrimp paste (optional)

Garnish

2 stalks green onions (finely minced, greens for garnish, whites for fried rice)
2 tablespoons crispy fried onions or shallots (store bought)

Instructions

Make Pineapple Bowl (and Cut Fresh Pineapple)

Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise.
Find the core of the pineapple (it will usually be a lighter color) and make a cut along each side of it.
Cut a rectangle around the pineapple using a small paring knife. Leave about ½ inch border around the edges.
Make a few more cuts from left to right until you have a 3x6 grid.
Take a spoon, and scoop out each section. Leave the pineapple core for now. Set the pineapple you scoop out aside for later.
To remove the core, I like to run my paring knife along the bottom to make it easier to scoop out.
Once you have the pieces, that are attached to the core, cut off the core at the end of each piece. It is the tough woody piece at the tips. Discard the core and keep the rest of the pineapple pieces.
If there is a lot of pineapple left inside the bowl, use a spoon and scoop out any extra fruit to make it smooth. You can save the juice and bits for a drink, shake, ice cream or just eat it.

Preparation

If you are using canned pineapples, drain them very well, dice them into small ¼ inch pieces, and set aside.
If you are using fresh pineapple, cut 1 cup fresh pineapple into ¼ pieces and set them aside for later.
Finely mince 2 stalks green onions, separating the whites from the greens. We will use the whites in the fried rice and the greens as a garnish.
Peel and finely mince 2 cloves garlic and 1 onion (approx. ½ cup) and set it aside for later.
Break up 3 cups leftover cold rice by hand into small pieces. Aim to get them into individual pieces if possible.
In a small bowl, beat 2 large eggs with 1 teaspoon of oil and set aside.
In another small bowl, 2½ tablespoons fish sauce, ½ tablespoon oyster sauce, 1½ teaspoons sugar (or kecap manis), ¼ teaspoon shrimp paste (optional), 2 teaspoons Madras curry powder. Set this aside for later.
Make sure the 6-8 large shrimp has fully thawed, if you are using frozen shrimp. Peel it if it has a shell on it. I like to slice them in half length-wise, but you can choose to dice them or leave them whole. Set it aside for later. I

Stir Fry the Pineapple Fried Rice

Set a large skillet or wok over the stove to medium-high heat and let it heat up. Once the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of oil, and 1 tablespoon butter (optional).
Add in ½ cup frozen vegetables, diced onions, and the whites of the green onion. Cook for about 2 minutes until the vegetables soften.
Next, add the minced garlic and cook it for 30 seconds.
Push aside the veggies, and add more oil to the pan. Then add the shrimp in and cook it for approximately 2 minutes until fully cooked, then stir fry it together with the veggies for a few seconds.
Push aside the vegetables and shrimp. Add a bit more oil to the pan, and add in the beaten egg. Let it cook for about 30 seconds until it is about 80% cooked.
Add the rice on top of the partially cooked eggs. Mix just the rice and the egg together and cook it together until the egg is fully cooked and the rice and eggs look dry (not mushy). This should take about 2 minutes. If there are still small chunks of rice, use the back of your spatula to break them up.
Mix the vegetables and shrimp back together with the rice and eggs, and pour the sauce and the greens of the green onion, and mix everything together until the sauce has evenly mixed with the rice.
Adjust the heat to high heat, add in the pineapple pieces, and stir fry for 1 minute.
Do a taste test. If you like it more salty, add more fish sauce or seasoning sauce.
Scoop the rice into the pineapple bowl. Top with 2 tablespoons crispy fried onions or shallots Your delicious Thai pineapple fried rice is ready to be served. Enjoy!

Notes

Preparation Is Important: Once you start making the fried rice, the process is very quick, so it's very important to prepare everything ahead and have them all close by.
Use Day-Old Cold Rice: For this recipe, it's crucial to use day-old cold rice. Freshly cooked rice will be too moist and can make your fried rice mushy. Day-old cold rice is drier and separates easily, giving you that perfect fried rice texture.
Use Fresh Ripe Pineapple: For the best flavor, I highly recommend using fresh ripe pineapple. You'll know the pineapple is ripe when you can smell the pineapple scent through the skin. This will give you the sweetest and most flavorful pineapple for this fried rice. That being said, you can also use canned pineapple as well, just make sure you drain it well and cut them into small pieces.
Wash Your Knife After Cutting Pineapple: To prevent your knives from getting dull, immediately wash or rinse your knife after you cut fresh pineapple.
Soy Sauce vs Fish Sauce vs Thai Seasoning Sauce: The key to a flavorful Thai pineapple fried rice is in the seasonings. You can interchangeably substitute soy sauce, fish sauce and seasoning sauce or do a mix but I personal find a mix of fish sauce with Thai seasoning sauce tastes the best. If you can't find Thai seasoning sauce, you can also use Maggi sauce as well, which essentially tastes the same.
Enhance with Shrimp Paste and Kecap Manis: If you have shrimp paste, adding ¼ teaspoon to the sauce mix will give your fried rice a delicious umami flavor. I also love to substitute the sugar with kecap manis as well which gives it a deeper sweetness and beautiful color. (Similar to Indonesian fried rice, Nasi Goreng). However, if you don't have these ingredients, the fried rice will still be delicious without them.
Don't Stir Fry the Pineapple Too Long: Since pineapples contain a lot of juice, bump the heat up to High after you put in the pineapples to sear them. You also don't want to stir-fry them for too long because they will release the juices and 'steam' the fried rice, making it soggy.
Crispy Fried Onions As a Topping: Crispy fried onions add additional texture to the fried rice and make it incredibly delicious. I highly recommend it. You can buy them at any Asian or Indian grocery store.

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