Priscilla Liang

Every time we visit Banana Leaf, we’d see their famous pineapple fried rice, either on our table or on other tables.  It has chicken and seafood and is served in a half pineapple boat.  How pretty!  So I always want to replicate that at home.

Finally, I have time.  =)

I always thought it’s tough to make a hollow pineapple boat, but it’s not rocket science.  Really.  It’s EASY.

1. Make a slice (no more than 1/4 of the pineapple) down along the side to remove the skin.  Discard this side.
2. Following the rim, cut around the inside of the pineapple.
3. Cut the inside into cubes.  Be careful not to cut through the other side.
4. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh.  You’ll need to scrape a little more to get the last bit of pineapple out.

See! It’s really not that hard!  =)  You now have a full bowl of pineapple flesh to add to the fried rice!

You can seriously use any ingredients of your choice.  You can add nuts, seeds, corn, seafood, even curry powder to turn it into a Thai version.  It’s versatile, so you’ll have lots of fun cooking this beautiful dish.

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Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken 菠蘿雞炒飯

Ingredients:

pineapple ~ 1
chicken breast or thighs (diced or sliced) ~ 1-2 breasts or thighs
marinade for chicken:

soy sauce ~ 2 tbsp
sesame oil ~ 1 tsp
brown sugar ~ 1/2 tabsp
corn starch ~ 1 tbsp

garlic ~ 2 gloves, diced
onion ~ 1 large, diced
red pepper ~ 1, diced
scallion ~ 1 stalk, diced
rice ~ 2 cups, uncooked
egg yolk ~ 2
Soy sauce ~ 1 tbsp

Instructions:

1. For best results, cook the rice the night before so the rice can be drier.  If you want restaurant-grade fried rice, here’s the trick  — When you are ready to cook the fried rice, mix the egg yolk into the rice.  Mix it with your hands so it’s thoroughly soaked in.

2. Marinate the chicken at least 2 hours ahead.

3. Heat up the wok with 2 tablespoons of canola oil.  Add in garlic and onions.  Stir fry until they become fragrant and onions become soft.

4. Add in chicken.  Stir fry until it’s half done.

5. Add in pineapple and red pepper.  Stir fry briefly.

6. Add in the rice along with the soy sauce and stir fry until the rice gets hot.  Make sure the chicken is fully cooked.

7. Finally add in scallions and stir fry briefly.

Voila~  DONE! MMmMMmMmmm~~~