Sunday, November 11, 2012

I cooked: Thai pineapple fried rice (Khao pad sapparot)

Sweet, tangy chunks of pineapples, fresh juicy prawns, fragrant fried rice ... what is there not to like about Thai pineapple fried rice? Not to mention it also looks very attractive served in hollowed-out halves of pineapple. 

Thai pineapple fried rice with shrimp


I love ordering this in when we dine in Thai restaurants, and it can easily be recreated at home in the kitchen too. For this dish, it is recommended to use fresh pineapple.. simply because fresh ones tastes much better (sweeter, crunchier with a slight tanginess), however if you cannot get your hands on fresh pineapple, then just use canned pineapples. You can even use the hollowed-out pineapples as serving bowls - it definitely gives this dish the wow factor.

I have chosen to use prawns in my pineapple fried rice, but you can also chicken or any other meat of your choice. We love to add cashew nuts, raisins, and green beans for color, texture and flavour. Don't forget the curry powder, which gives the rice its yellow tinge and it also gives the rice a lovely heat. And finally, season with some soy sauce as well as fish sauce that imparts an umami flavour to the dish.



Beautiful colours


Wonderfully enticing


Thai pineapple fried rice (khao phat sapparot)
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 cup rice
110g fresh pineapple chunks (or canned, if you cannot get fresh)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion , finely chopped
1 medium egg
5 green beans, chopped
20g unsalted cashew nuts
20g raisin or sultanas
6 prawns, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 red chilli, sliced thinly
2 sprigs coriander, to garnish

1. For this dish, you can use both leftover or freshly boiled rice. Allow to cool and dry out before using. Loosen rice grains with a spatula before using.

2. If you can get your hands on a fresh pineapple, then you can use it as a serving bowl for your fried rice later. Firstly, halve the pineapple down the centre. Using a sharp knife, cut the pineapple half in the centre, only the flesh (careful not to cut all the way through to the skin) then cut the sides (like a triangle) to remove the flesh. Repeat for other side. Cut the pineapple into small chunks for your fried rice. Reserve any extra pineapple for other dishes.





3. In a large wok over medium high heat, heat the oil and add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant. Then, add the onion and green beans and cook for 1 minute, before adding the egg. Break the egg into small pieces using your spatula and then add cashew nuts, pineapple, raisins and curry powder and stir fry for another 30 seconds.



4. Pour in the cooked rice and stir, mixing the rice well with other ingredients. Season with fish sauce and soy sauce, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until rice is well coated and crackling. Add 1/2 the red chilli and prawns and stir fry for another minute. Serve rice in the hollowed pineapple halves, and garnish with the remaining red chilli and coriander. Serve immediately.







* I am submitting this recipe to "Favorite Rice Recipes" hosted by my friend, Amrita.

*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's FB page on 19 November 2012.

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thanks :)

47 comments:

  1. Ooooo...looks so good...but the long list of ingredients give me cold feet! LOL!!! I've tried...my makeshift or whatever-I-have recipe, ok...not bad too. LOL!!!

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    1. Actually most of the ingredients are quite common in Chinese kitchens also... so not too daunting lah.

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  2. I like this, very appetising! :)

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  3. This is restaurant standard... Thumbs up!

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  4. i love pineapple fried rice but i lazy to deal with a real pineapple...haha....what lame excuse.

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    1. Haha in the past I also used canned pineapples for a quick fix. Real pineapple a bit more hard work, but worth it lah.

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  5. I've always wanted to make this dish! It does look so striking and appealing served in a hollowed out pineapple :D

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    1. Hehe one of the reasons I like this so much is cos of how nice it looks. ;P

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  6. Wow this looks so scrumptious..love the way you have presented. You may like to send me the details for my Rice event..such an amazing recipe.

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  7. i'm impressed that this beauty takes less than an hour to create! i love cashews, and i always try to swipe as many of the nuts that i can when having pineapple rice :D

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    1. Hehe usually if I order it in the restaurant, it only comes with 2-3 cashewnuts! I always try to put much more when I cook it myself at home:)

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  8. This is my kids' favorite dish to order when we go to Thai restaurant. I never thought of making it at home but now with your recipe, it's possible! I need to save this recipe and surprise my kids one day. ;)

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    1. One of my friends made a comment on my Instagram - they wonder if restaurants recycle the pineapples after using them! EKKKKK! I hope not but I would definitely prefer to eat my rice out of a "clean pineapple" at home :P

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  9. My Hubby good in cooking this Thai fried rice, I have to ask him to cook for us, yours look so good and yummy too. Yes, adding curry powder is important in this fried rice.

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    1. Yeah I like the flavours of this rice - sweet, spicy and salty, all at once :)

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  10. I like this too, but too lazy to do all those work with the pineapple :p

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    1. It wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be - get a smaller pineapple, less work! Haha!

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  11. When is BabySumo Gourmet Creations opening its' doors in KL? Can't comment on how your food tastes (you know ... without actually having tasted it), but it certainly looks a lot better than lots of restaurants I've been to!

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    1. LOL thanks for the compliment! My readers will be the first to know if I EVER open a restaurant..... :P

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  12. Made a vegetarian version the other day for Frank but didn't use pineapple 'bowl', you really go all out for your cooking! Hehehe

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    1. Pineapple bowl looks prettier for presentation, for sure!

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  13. Looks delicious! One of my favourite, my kids love Pineapple Fried Rice! Have not eaten this for ages!

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    1. Thanks Joyce! Looks like most kids enjoy this rice, hor.

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  14. Your pictures are making me crave pineapple fried rice!!!! :D Looks vibrant and drool worthy!!

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    1. I'm pretty sure you can recreate this dish easily in your home! If Yen can do it, so can you! LOL

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  15. One of my fave fried rice :D Your presentation looks fantastic !

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    1. Mine too! In fact I dont think there's any kind of fried rice which I dont like.

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  16. Looks delicious! I really enjoy pineapple rice, and like it even better when its so beautifully presented.

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    1. Hehe same here! I enjoy eating it more out of a pineapple half than a plate! :P

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  17. U "liu" on top definitely a sigh to behold!

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    1. Haha thanks! I think my "liu" is more than my rice :P

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  18. wow....not even those at the restaurant can beat this

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  19. Dear Baby Sumo,

    Your interpretation looks delicious but I would be too lazy using the pineapple halves though. Apart from the presentation I wonder if the pineapple bowl would add more flavour for the extra work.

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    1. It doesn't really add extra flavour to the rice, it is purely for presentation purposes.

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  20. Hi Yen,

    You have cooked and presented your pineapple rice very well... When I first enter your page, I thought that you are reviewing a Thai restaurant :D

    With Tom Yum soup and any Thai dessert, you can open a Thai restaurant for this meal.

    Zoe

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    1. Hehe Zoe, that should be my next project then. Cooking the perfect bowl of tom yum :)

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  21. great job! I was literally drooling... and so much 'liao'.. just my kind of Pineapple Fried Rice! :D

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  22. Hi Yen, sorry for being late. Hai, busy busy busy! It's 11.11pm here & tried to visit few more friends then will need to go to sleep! This pineapple fired rice looks really good with nice presentation! William was giving a good response when he was looking at these photos! We used to go to a Thai restaurant in Taman Desa many years ago when we started dating & this was the dish that we ordered!

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  23. aiyoh making me hungry again, this look so awesome

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  24. Hi Baby Sumo, your pineapple rice look sooo good. Love your presentation, Excellent!!

    Have a lovely week ahead.

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