Healthy Pineapple Fried Rice

I recently went to Thailand on honeymoon and completely fell in love with Thai cuisine! On the one hand, I found that Thai food was made from fresh, simple, natural ingredients and was mostly very vegan-friendly. On the other hand, the amount and type of oil, salt and MSG used in Thai food meant that it wasn’t always as healthy as it seemed. Luckily, oil type and content, salt content and MSG content are very easy to change without sacrificing too much flavour. One of my favourite dishes in Thailand was Pineapple Fried Rice which is usually made from white rice fried with lots of soybean oil, soya sauce and sometimes eggs. I changed the dish slightly to make it a bit healthier and to turn it into a balance meal with lots of protein and some extra veggies but I think it is still true to it’s traditional Thai flavours. This dish is great for meal prepping as it stays fresh for a good 5-7 days in the fridge. Give it a try and let me know how you like it.

Pineapple rice (2).jpg

For my patients on calorie-controlled meal plans:

1 x serving of this recipe  =

  • 1 starch serving

  • 1 veg serving

  • 1 fat serving

  • 1/2 legume/ protein serving

SERVES 8 as a side dish

(ADD MORE VEGGIES AND PROTEIN TO COMPLETE THE MEAL)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dry red rice (*You can find red rice at any Asian store. If not, just use brown rice)

  • 1 queen pineapple, diced

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 2 tbsp low sodium soya sauce (*If you are gluten-free, use Tamari instead)

  • 1 cup frozen edamame beans, thawed

  • 60g cashews

  • 2 tsp sesame oil

  • 1 green pepper, chopped

  • 300g mushrooms, chopped

  • 1 tsp sriracha (or more to taste)

For serving:

  • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced

  • 1 queen pineapple, halved and hollowed.

Method:

1. Cook your rice according to the package instructions.

2. Whilst your rice is cooking, heat 1 tsp of sesame oil in a large non-stick pan.

3. Add the garlic and cashews and saute them in the sesame oil until golden.

4. Once golden, add the diced pineapple, green pepper. edamame beans and mushrooms and saute them on medium heat until the vegetables are slightly softened (about 10 minutes). If you find the vegetables are sticking to the pot, add a splash of water to prevent burning.

3. By this time your rice should be cooked through. Add your cooked rice to your pan along with the soya sauce, sriracha and the remaining teaspoon of sesame oil and mix through on low heat for 2 minutes.

4. Serve hot with sliced spring onions sprinkled on top. If you are feeling fancy, halve a pineapple length-ways and hollow out the centre. Serve the rice mixture inside the hollowed out pineapple.

Jessica KotlowitzComment