Today’s recipe is incredibly simple and easy to make, so yummy and nutritious too: Thai inspired pineapple fried rice.

If you love fried rice dishes and stir-fries, this is a nice change from the usual and well worth a try. It’s delicious! A perfect healthy comfort food that works both as a main or as a side.

It’s very quick and inexpensive to make as well. No need to use fresh pineapple either. In all honesty I use the cheapest canned pineapple chunks I can find (only 47p in Morrisons hehe) and it still tastes great. Plus it saves you some preparation time. 🙂

Is this an authentic Thai recipe?

No, not really. But authentic recipes and what actually suits day to day life are often two completely different things! So here’s my take on this delicious Thai dish:

1. I like adding extra vegetables to up the nutritional value.

2. I generally make it without shrimps and cashews to cut the cost and because I rarely have these ingredients in my kitchen.

3. I use pad Thai paste instead of shrimp paste, because YUM. 😉

Thai pineapple fried rice recipe:

Difficulty level: easy

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15-20 mins

Yields: 6 portions

Calories (per 450g portion): 475

Cost: 70p per portion

Ingredients

1.3kg cooked white rice (the equivalent of 2 + 1/4 cup uncooked rice)
5 large spring onions
1 large onion
3 bell peppers (I used a mixture of green, yellow and red)
3 frozen garlic cubes or equivalent (60g)
2 x 260g (drained weight) canned pineapple
2 Tbsp cooking oil of your choice

Flavourings:

4 Tbsp pad Thai paste (I used Penta pad thai paste from my local Chinese supermarket)
3 Tbsp soy sauce (I used Lee Kum Kee gluten free light soy sauce)
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp medium curry powder
Optional: fresh chillies or paste (to taste)

Note: add 2 or 3 eggs to up the protein content. To do so, just add the eggs at the very end, mix well, lower the heat to low, place a lid on the pan and let it stand for a few minutes or until the eggs are fully cooked. Then stir everything again and serve. 🙂

Directions

Cook the rice.
Meanwhile, finely chop the spring onions, onion, bell peppers and garlic (if using fresh cloves).
In a wok or large non-stick sautée pan, fry the onion and bell pepper in 2 Tbsp of oil on medium/low heat until they start to soften up. Then add the garlic and cook for a couple more minutes or until the cubes have defrosted.
Add the pineapple and all flavouring ingredients and keep on cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Finally stir in the cooked rice and spring onions, mix well and keep frying for a few more minutes.
Serve on its own or as a side.