Pineapple Fried Rice

Since getting our wok, we have enjoyed many varieties of fried rice. We end up making it almost once a week. This Thai-style pineapple fried is one of my favorites. The jasmine rice, crab paste, and fish sauce give it the Thai flavor.


We've made this with and without the chicken, and shrimp or pork would work well in the dish. I went through the trouble of hollowing out the pineapple for a nice presentation, but it is totally not necessary.


Pineapple Fried Rice
Adapted from Savoring Southeast Asia
By Joyce Jue


1 pineapple
2 Tbs vegetable oil
½ tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped (keep in chunks)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
2 eggs
2 Tbs crab paste
2 Tbs hoisin sauce
3 green onions, thinly sliced
4 c cooked jasmine rice, cooled and clump-free
2 Tbs fish sauce
Freshly chopped cilantro
Fried onions


Preheat oven to 300˚F. Cut pineapple in half from top to bottom. Hollow each half, leaving the shell intact. Set pineapple meat aside. Bake shell halves on a baking sheet, hollowed side up, for about 15-20 minutes to dry out the inside. Check a few times to make sure the pineapple leaves don’t burn.

Remove the core from one half of the reserved pineapple meat. Coarsely chop the pulp. Save unused pineapple for another use. Preheat a wok over medium-high heat. When the wok is hot, add the oil, salt, and garlic. Stir-fry until garlic is a light golden color. Push up the sides of the wok. Add the chicken, and stir-fry until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Push chicken up the sides.

Crack the eggs into the wok and break up the yolks. Let cook until set, about 30 seconds. Break into pieces. Add the crab paste, hoisin sauce and stir to combine. Add the green onions, rice, and fish sauce. Break up any remaining clumps of rice. Stir the garlic and chicken into the rice mixture, making sure to coat all the rice with the sauce. Add pineapple and toss to combine. Heat another minute.

Spoon fried rice into pineapple shells. Garnish with cilantro and fried onions.