Pineapple Fried Rice (Bo Lo Caau Faan)
A Cantonese take on the classic Thai pineapple fried rice, featuring fluffy jasmine rice, tender chicken, succulent shrimp, and sweet pineapple chunks. This recipe includes tips for perfectly cooked rice and proper stir-frying techniques.
NutritionΒ· per serving Β· estimated
Ingredients16 items
Instructions
- 1
Wash the Thai jasmine rice three times with fresh water, rinsing off any dust. There's no need to scrub vigorously.
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Add the washed rice to the rice cooker pot. Then add 16 oz of water, ensuring it just covers the top of the rice. Place the pot back in the rice cooker, close the lid, and start cooking.
- 3
While the rice cooks, prepare the pineapple. Cut off the top and bottom, then slice off the skin. Remove any remaining 'eyes' from the pineapple. Dice the pineapple into small cubes.
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Peel and devein the large shrimp. Since they are large, cut each shrimp in half horizontally to butterfly them.
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Marinate the halved shrimp with 1 tsp of cornstarch and 1/8 tsp of white pepper. Mix well by hand until evenly coated. The cornstarch helps the shrimp cook to a silky texture.
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Dice the chicken breast into small cubes. Do not cut the pieces too small, as overly small pieces don't look as nice and lose texture when cooked.
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Marinate the diced chicken with 1/8 tsp of white pepper, 1 tsp of cornstarch, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1 tbsp of water. Mix well by hand until evenly coated.
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Dice the carrot into small cubes.
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Chop the green onion, separating the white and green parts.
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Crack 3 large eggs into a bowl and season with 1/2 tsp of salt. Beat the eggs immediately before cooking to prevent them from releasing water.
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Once the rice is cooked, open the rice cooker and fluff the rice with chopsticks to let it breathe and release steam.
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Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the diced carrots and blanch for 20-30 seconds to soften them. Then add the diced pineapple and blanch for another 40-50 seconds. Blanching pineapples helps to remove the sting from its acidity and denature bromelain, the enzyme responsible for itchy or tingling sensations. Drain the carrots and pineapple and set them aside.
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Heat the wok on high heat until the center is pale and it begins to smoke.
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Lower the heat to medium. Add 1 tbsp of cooking oil and spread it around the wok. Pour in the beaten eggs and stir-fry for 20-30 seconds until just cooked and tender. Scoop out the eggs and set them aside.
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Add 1 tsp of cooking oil to the wok. Add the marinated chicken and spread it out without flipping to let it brown on one side first. Chicken breast cooks very quickly. After 20-30 seconds, flip and stir-fry until the chicken turns white.
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Add the marinated shrimp to the wok. Add 1 tsp of cooking oil. Stir-fry the shrimp and chicken for another minute until both are cooked. Scoop them out and put them in a bowl to add back in later.
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Keep the wok on high heat. Add 1 tbsp of cooking oil along the edge of the wok. Add the cooked rice. Spread out the rice and let it pan-fry for 30 seconds to develop a fragrant bottom surface. Then flip and stir-fry for 1 minute.
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Lower the heat to medium. Add 1 tbsp of cooking oil along the edge of the wok. Stir-fry the rice for another minute. Add the blanched carrots and pineapple. Stir-fry to mix for about 1-2 minutes until heated through.
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Add 2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of sugar for balance, and 2 tsp of light soy sauce for color and flavor. Stir-fry quickly to mix for another 1-2 minutes. It's important to stir-fry quickly here to prevent the rice from burning.
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Add the cooked chicken and shrimp back into the wok. Stir-fry for 20-30 seconds to combine all ingredients and develop some 'wok hei'.
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Add the chopped green onions. Stir-fry to mix for 40-50 seconds.
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After a final 1-2 minutes of stir-frying, add 1 tsp of sesame oil for a fragrant finish. Mix it in.
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To plate, first add some of the fried rice to a bowl and pack it in with the spatula. Then, invert the bowl onto a serving plate to create a dome shape. Serve immediately and enjoy!
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