Pineapple Fried Rice

Today, I’m participating in a fun blogger event — the Secret Recipe Club. How does it work? Every blogger is secretly assigned another blog + chooses a recipe from that blog to make. On reveal day (today!), all of our posts go up at the same time, + everyone gets to see who was assigned to their blog, which recipe they chose, + how it turned out. Fun, huh?

This month I was assigned Sew You Think You Can Cook, a fantastic blog full of  SO many tasty-looking recipes. One recipe particularly jumped out at me — this Pineapple Fried Rice — because I had fresh pineapple that needed using up, and I *always* seem to have leftover cooked rice in the fridge. I gathered up the rest of the ingredients + got cookin’. And y’all, this might be the most delicious fried rice I’ve ever eaten. The combination of flavors + textures is truly perfect. The sweet, juicy, caramelized pineapple contrasts beautifully with the salty soy, the spicy ginger, and the slightly-crunchy savory veggies. While I usually think of fried rice as a side dish, this is hearty, filling, and well-rounded enough to stand alone as a (meat-free) main dish. If you do prefer it as a side dish, it would work wonderfully alongside Asian-inspired chicken, pork, or fish.

Thank you to Lauren for introducing me to this truly fabulous fried rice + to the Secret Recipe Club for connecting me, yet again, with fantastic bloggers + amazing recipes! For all my previous Secret Recipe Club recipes, click here – there are TONS of awesome ones!

Pineapple Fried Rice

serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish, adapted from Sew You Can Cook

Ingredients

3 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil, divided
2″ fresh ginger, peeled + grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
3 scallions, white + light green parts sliced, and dark green parts reserved for garnish
1 carrot, peeled + diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup peas
1 1/4 cup fresh pineapple, cubed
2 eggs
3 cups cooked rice
2 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
sesame oil, to taste (optional)

Directions

In a wok or large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic, and saute for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the onion and white/light green scallions, and cook for 5-7 minutes, until translucent and tender.

Turn the heat up to high, and add in the carrot, pepper, and peas. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently – the veggies should still have some crunch left to them. Add in the pineapple, and cook for 2-3 minutes more — pineapple should just be starting to caramelize.

Transfer all the cooked veggies to a bowl, and set aside. In the empty skillet, turn the heat down to medium, add the eggs, and scramble. When they’re scrambled, add them to the bowl with the veggies.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the empty skillet, and heat up to medium-high. Add the cooked rice to the pan, and let cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Rice will begin to brown and get a little crispy. Add in the soy sauce, pepper, and all the cooked veggies and eggs, and cook on high for 2 minutes or so, stirring frequently, until everything is well-combined and hot.

Serve immediately, garnished with the sliced dark green scallions and a drop or two of sesame oil, if desired.

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