A year has gone by so quickly. My blog is a year old this month. I remember my first blog was heart-shaped macarons for Valentine’s that I posted on February 2nd of last year. I thought it was just last month but in fact here it’s the time for a Hallmark holiday again.
Yes, I’m a Miss Anti-Valentine’s celebrator. You know, out of 365 days, why do I feel the need to go out to eat on the day that all the restaurants will only serve a set menu? I also don’t feel the need to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with the next table, (this isn’t Paris!) eavesdropping on their fights or romantic conversation, to the point where I’ve almost missed what sweetheart is saying to me! Sorry, I can’t help listening when the couple is practically an inch away from sitting on my lap.
Same solution this year. I will be cooking the Valentine’s dinner and serving it at home. I will give you the recipe for something simple but beautiful. This might not be as low-carb or as quick to cook as the Chicken Milanese one last year, but it’s sure to be delicious.
Ingredients for the Pineapple Fried Rice
Flesh from half a pineapple
Raisins 1/4 cup
Onion, diced 1/4 cup
Chopped garlic 1 teaspoon
Cook white rice, cold 1-1/2 − 2 cups
Ham, Turkey ham, Chicken or Tofu, diced 1/2 cup
Shrimp or Fried Tofu 1/2 cup
Cashew nuts 1/4 cup
Curry powder 2 tablespoons
Butter (at room temperature) 1- 2 tablespoons
Oil 1 tablespoon
Soy sauce 1/4 cup
Green onion cut to 1/2 inch lengths, 2 tablespoons
Optional ingredients
Red bell pepper, diced 2 tablespoons
Red chili threads
Cilantro to garnish
Ingredients for the Pineapple soup
Pineapple core from one pineapple
Garlic 2-3 cloves
Your choice of meat: pork ribs or chicken drumsticks, only a few pieces of them. For vegetarians use firm tofu or fried tofu.
Soy sauce, sugar and pepper to taste
Method
The day before…
You might consider doing these:
– Cook the rice
– Cut up the pineapple if you don’t have a lot of time on the day of. If you want the fancy pineapple serving bowl as shown, I suggest you do it the day before, because it took me more than half an hour to scoop out the flesh and cut it into pieces. (Save EVERYTHING)
– You can make the soup the day before.
Method for the soup
1) Core the pineapple and cut it in cubes, size 1/2”x1/2”x1/2”
2) Add meat of your choice, pineapple core, garlic with water in a pan, enough to cover above the meat, about 1”
3) Boil over medium low heat until it’s bubbling. It should take a long time, may be half an hour to 45 minutes. Skim the foam on top and lower the heat to low, then simmer it for another hour. Make sure that the meat and pineapple core are tender.
4) Season to your taste. It supposed to be slightly sour, with a hint of sweet and not too salty. You can put this in the refrigerator overnight. If you don’t have space in the fridge, you can leave it on the stove but you will need to bring it to a full boil at the end. As soon as it boils, cover with lid and let it boil another half minute under the lid then turn the heat off. Do not open the lid until you’re ready to heat it up again the next day.
Method for fried rice
1) First and very important is the rice has to be previously cooked and cooled down. We do not fry freshly-cooked rice; it will turn into a mush. If you forgot to cook the rice, then cook it and put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
2) Once the rice grains are all dry, add butter and one tablespoon of curry powder to the rice and mix them all together.
Make sure that every single grain is covered with curry powder and butter. This step is to ensure that you get a good fried rice and there are no lumps of white rice mixed in with the fried rice.
3) Put a wok over high heat, add oil (If you like coconut oil, you can use it. I used coconut milk to make oil but you don’t have to do it the same way I do.)
add garlic
and onion to the wok, then cook until the onion is clear.
You have to toss everything really fast or else it would burn. If you can’t do it fast enough, cook in smaller portions, but never reduce the heat. Do not sacrifice the heat for anything. This is the only crucial tip to making good fried rice.
4) Add the shrimp,
ham, raisins,
cut-up pineapple and the rest of the curry powder to the wok.
Toss them together quickly until the shrimp are cooked.
5) Add the rice that is already seasoned with butter and curry powder.
Toss them together with the rest of the ingredients in the wok. They will get a little soggy because the pineapple will release its juice, but it will never get watery. Season with soy sauce, adding it one tablespoon at a time, then flip the contents quickly to evenly distribute the soy sauce, and then add some more. Taste it eventually and add more as needed.
Cook over high heat until every single grain of rice is hot all the way to the inside. The fried rice should get drier. I was taught to “fry the rice until the grains are dancing”. Well, it usually happens, but not in this case due to the pineapple. Normally, once all the rice grains are separated and hot, you would see some grains at the edge of the wok starting to bounce a little. You won’t see it as you keep moving the contents in the wok around quickly to prevent them from burning, but if you stop just a little, you will see this.
6) Add the cashew nuts, then add the chili threads, then turn off the heat, but keep stirring and pushing the fried rice around the wok for another minute or two
and then add the green onion, stirring some more. Make sure it cools down a bit before putting the fried rice in the pineapple. Some time I add the Pork Floss (You can read about it in the Pork Floss Shortbread post here)
Sometime I add the Chicharron on top to add texture.
You can also serve it on the plate.
Looks so amazing. I am definitely going to try it. Thank you for sharing! Claire x
Thanks Claire. You probably try this before I try the chocolate cake covered with butter cream roses like yours! Those are so beautiful…including the two tones roses. I would need a step by step instruction.
Reblogged this on Hawaiian & Pacific Rim Ancestry Association.
Thanks 🙂
Definitely going to make this. Looks scrumptuous!
🙂 Show me the picture when you make it. You can post it on my facebook page.
Will do. 🙂
Pineapple soup is such an interesting idea! I’ve usually discarded the core whenever cutting up a fresh pineapple because it’s too tough to eat. This recipe may put good use to it now 🙂 – Veronica
I usually put them in the soup either eating it or not because it makes the soup taste so delicious. I used it in Tom Kha (http://www.highheelgourmet.com/2012/02/16/tomkha-lobster/) or Tom Yum some time and scoop them out once they release the juice. Lately when I start making vegetable juice, I juice them too. Can’t let the delicious fruits go to waste 🙂
Valentine’s Day should be every day. And it should be for all love and gratitude rather than a romantic one. I don’t like the concept either. There is White Day in Japan as well. The month before, when women are supposed to buy chocolate for men. Another commercial day.
I will also be cooking at home for Valentine’s Day. I think the ones we love deserve more than one day a year to show the love. 🙂
I love pineapple fried rice. The last time I made this was for a friend’s birthday. It is a lot of work but visually beautiful. I suppose i could make it again. It has been a while.
Agree with you! It’s so commercialized these days now.
Lovely idea, but scraping out a pineapple is too much like hard work! Looking forward to the Pineapple Panacotta though: unusual.
Thanks for the like!
Amy
It is hard work Amy. I used to do it all the times but haven’t done it in a while and doing it without the right tools isn’t going to be fast. I will post the panna cotta very soon. May be Monday.
-mira-
I love pineapple fried rice! It was one of my favourite dishes as a child. I thought having rice out of a pineapple was the coolest thing ever! Thanks for reminding me of this yummy dish!
The pineapple fried rice I used to in Thailand is the whole pineapple bowl standing up and the top leaves part is the lid cover for the whole fried rice so it a mysterious to “open” the lid and saw that the inside wasn’t the pineapple flesh but the fried rice. I used to think that god had transform the pineapple for us because we were so hungry…lol…
That’s too adorable! ^_^
Fantastic!
🙂 Thanks
The pineapple serving bowl has to be the hardest part…. You should get sweetheart to help out.:-) Thanks for sharing!
Oh oh…my sweetheart would poke a hole through the bowl…I’m pretty sure about that. I agree that it’s a little hard work but it worth it for the presentation. I looked at it after we finished and wish I could save it for the next time…lol.
Can’t wait for the panna cotta!!
I love pineapple and specially fresh. Eating out of it like a bowl , this is wonderful. Your photos are great. Lot’s of color in this dish..very appealing.
Thanks for the follow of my blog also, Savor the Food. I appreciate your comments and readership.
Chef Randall
savorthefood.wordpress.com
I love pineapple and specially fresh. Eating out of it like a bowl , this is wonderful. Your photos are great. Lot’s of color in this dish..very appealing.
Thanks for the follow of my blog also, Savor the Food. I appreciate your comments and readership.
Chef Randall
savorthefood.wordpress.com
Ohh….I love that pineapple bowl you made. I was just in Hawaii a month+ ago …. so I want to try a pineapple dish one day … but now I am thinking, why waste the outside…that is such a wicked cool idea!
(By the way, thank you for stopping by and liking my blog too *wavies*)
Looks amazing!! I love pineapple!
Looks amazing!! I love pineapple!
looks ‘aroi mak mak na ka’!! I will try convincing my husband to make your recipes for our Valentines day dinner ka…he said he will cook me Thai food at home (he’s Thai) 🙂
That would be nice if he do it naka. Thai man can be very sweet 😉 I just published the recipe for the dessert, Pineapple Panna Cotta. You can negotiate with him that you will make dessert…(It’s so much easier…hahaha).
Hahaha good idea ka! I will be sure to offer ka…I like the idea that’s its easier! It looks delicious too!!! you are such a good cook!
Thanks 🙂
Your pictures and recipes look so delightful! Can’t wait to see more from you.
Thanks 🙂
Oh this DOES look Delicious…especially the Pineapple Fried Rice! I will certainly try this, and will share your recipe with my daughter who is a wonderful cook, and pretty high-heeled also! Lovely blog!
Thanks 🙂
I believe I just jumped with delight when the first photo came on the screen! Now that is a Valentine dinner worth remembering! My absolute favourite and you have made it so gorgeous! So good to be back and so good to be here! Sharon
Yes, I’m glad you are back Sharon. I’m envy you had spent all those times eating yummy Malaysian foods. I went to Australia and had some but I thought that what missing in Los Angeles, good Malaysian eatery that would serve Laksa, Roti, MeePok and etc…welcome back 🙂
Absolutely beautiful!
Absolutely beautiful!
So glad I found your blog! I will be cooking this pineapple rice this Sunday for our family dinner.
WOW – that looks so fresh and delicious.
thanks for stopping by Not Dabbling in Normal to check out my granola bars.
WOW – that looks so fresh and delicious.
thanks for stopping by Not Dabbling in Normal to check out my granola bars.
Wowwwwwwwwwww
🙂
Wowwwwwwwwwww
You have a way with food. You always make me feel like “clicking and eating” 🙂
Really…I wish it makes people feel like “cooking and eating” 😉
You have a way with food. You always make me feel like “clicking and eating” 🙂
Sounds very good – looking forward to making a vegetarian version!
I forgot to mention. If you make the vegetarian version, marinate the tofu with soy sauce and sugar would give the dish some dimension. You would love it. Just for a few hour before you make it…yummy!
Thank you!
Done – and it was completely delicious!
Sounds very good – looking forward to making a vegetarian version!
Tried using smoked Tofu as a cubed protein (1/8″ cut, added earlier before wet bulk ingredients) for a vegan variation, worked even better than expected, awkwardly-fusionish as it is 🙂
It’s a brilliant substitute for vegan. Another one is the fried tofu but I think your choice might give it a little more dimension.
Tried using smoked Tofu as a cubed protein (1/8″ cut, added earlier before wet bulk ingredients) for a vegan variation, worked even better than expected, awkwardly-fusionish as it is 🙂
OMG this looks beyond delish! Can’t wait to try this!
I have a query. The curry powder you get here in India would be very different from the one you are using I am sure (ours has dry mustard and fenugreek as well). If you could let me know what goes in the curry powder I could try making it? Thanks so so much x
You can use the Indian curry powder. Curry powder is very personal, use what you like. I don’t like cinnamon so I made my own.
These are mine spices in the order from the most amount used to the least but as I said this is my preferences, very mild curry powder.
Turmeric powder, coriander seed, cumin seeds, white cardamom, ginger powder, garlic powder, curry leave, nutmeg, mace, clove, cinnamon, red chili (without seeds), fenugreek, mustard seeds, dill seed, celery seeds.
Got it! Thanks 🙂
OMG this looks beyond delish! Can’t wait to try this!
I have a query. The curry powder you get here in India would be very different from the one you are using I am sure (ours has dry mustard and fenugreek as well). If you could let me know what goes in the curry powder I could try making it? Thanks so so much x
You can use the Indian curry powder. Curry powder is very personal, use what you like. I don’t like cinnamon so I made my own.
These are mine spices in the order from the most amount used to the least but as I said this is my preferences, very mild curry powder.
Turmeric powder, coriander seed, cumin seeds, white cardamom, ginger powder, garlic powder, curry leave, nutmeg, mace, clove, cinnamon, red chili (without seeds), fenugreek, mustard seeds, dill seed, celery seeds.
Got it! Thanks 🙂