Pineapple Fried Jasmine Rice

Leftover rice never tasted so good! Rice that has been cooked and chilled works better for this dish since the grains stay separated more easily. For a dramatic presentation some people like to serve the rice in a halved pineapple. Towards the end, stir in ½ lb (250 g) of crabmeat or cooked shrimp for seafood fried rice. Most Thai cooks would season the fried rice with shrimp or crab paste that come in small jars, labeled as Shrimp or Crab in Soya Bean oil, since it's hard to find in some areas I have used the chili paste that is used in many other recipesServes 4–6

 Preparation time: 10 mins
 Cooking time: 15 mins

2 tablespoons oil (divided use)

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup (50 g) diced red onion

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

4 cups (800 g) cooked or leftover Jasmine Rice (page 102), grains separated

2 tablespoons chili paste in soya bean oil (nahm prik pow)

1 tablespoon fish sauce

¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

¼ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

1 cup (225 g) diced pineapple, fresh or canned, (if canned, drain well before using)

½ cup (20 g) roughly chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

½ cup (75 g) toasted cashews, roughly chopped

2 limes cut into wedges, to garnish

1 cucumber, peeled, thinly sliced diagonally, to garnish

6 coriander (cilantro) sprigs, to garnish

1 Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over highest heat until it begins to smoke. Pour the egg into the skillet and tilt to make a thin layer. Cook until semi-set, then scramble the eggs until lightly browned and broken up. Remove the eggs from the skillet and set aside.

2 Coat the same skillet with the remaining tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the onion, ginger, and garlic for about 30 seconds—until the onions become translucent and the garlic just begins to brown.

3 Stir in the rice, chili paste, fish sauce, pepper and salt. Mix to coat the rice with all the ingredients, then stop stirring and let it cook for 15-second increments, to achieve some brown bits. Continue this process for about 3–5 minutes until the rice is nicely browned.

4 Add the cooked egg and diced pineapple and cook for about a minute to heat the pineapple. Stir in the chopped coriander leaves.

5 Transfer to a platter, sprinkle the cashews on top and garnish with the lime, cucumber, and coriander sprigs.