A fabulous take on the Thai favorite, the inspiration for this recipe was a yoga retreat in Hawaii, where pineapple is king. To make this dish, as with all stir-fries, prepare the ingredients before you begin cooking. Regular long grain rice is fine, but jasmine is nice and fragrant and often used in Thai dishes. Brown Jasmine is a little tricky to find, but it’s my first choice. Your rice must be COLD to fry properly. If you are feeling inspired yourself, serve in a hollowed out pineapple shell! If you are a bit wimpy about tofu, shrimp are an excellent substitution.
TIME: 25 MINUTES
SERVES: 2 hungry people as a main, or 4 as part of a Thai banquet
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups cooked cold rice (one cup dry rice yields three cups cooked)
3 tablespoons peanut oil, separated
8 oz firm Chinese style tofu (not the Japanese silken tofu), cut into 1” cubes - you can always use the pre-fried
1 large shallot, diced, about ¼ cup
1 medium carrot, diced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup frozen peas
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
2 tablespoons tamari
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
OPTIONAL GARNISHES: lime wedges, chopped green onions, red chili sauce
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in wok or large skillet on high.
• Stir-fry tofu for 4-5 minutes, using tongs to turn and brown on all sides. Remove tofu from wok.
• Add eggs to wok. Scramble until cooked. Remove from wok.
• Add remaining tablespoon oil to pan along with shallot, carrot, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry veggies for 2 minutes. Keep heat high and veggies moving around the wok.
• Add rice to veggies and stir-fry another 2-3 minutes, pressing the rice into the sides of the wok to brown.
• Return tofu and eggs to wok, along with the pineapple and peas. Stir-fry another minute and drizzle with tamari.
• Remove fried rice onto one large serving platter. Garnish with your choice of garnishes.
