Pineapple Fried Rice (Thai Style)

    Mmmm... Thai Pineapple Fried Rice. It doesn't get much better than this! Fried rice has been one of my favorite dishes since I was a wee ankle biter, along with mashed potatoes and gravy. There's a Thai place here that makes THE BEST Pineapple Fried Rice, but it's a bit pricey. I wanted to try to replicate it myself since that's always the cheaper option. The results were delish even with a... minor goof when I first made it...

    Okay, so. I couldn't find the curry powder in the cupboard so I asked where it was. Some was given to me and I threw it right in, never stopping to consider that the smell was a bit off for Thai cooking. I went about my merry business. Upon serving, I thought something tasted a little weird but I couldn't figure out what the heck it was... It took a lot of dinner table speculation, but we finally nailed it. Obviously the Indian spices didn't quite belong and got a liiitle bit ornery when the other flavors started poking fun. They could hardly be detected in the end, but just make sure you're using Thai curry powder :)

    As with any fried rice recipe, all vegetable options are, of course, optional, as well as the cashews and raisins (I didn't have them, so I didn't add them). And naturally all of the quantities can be altered, too.

Pineapple Fried Rice
makes 2 servings

heaping plate of cooled, cooked rice
1c pineapple chunks (fresh is less sweet and more fragrant)
handful cashews
handful raisins
1-2? chicken breast
2 green onions, thinnly sliced
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
handful spinach, torn
1 carrot, thinnly sliced
1 sticks celery, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
small wedge ginger, minced
1-2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp chicken stock
2 tbsp fish or soy sauce
2 tsp curry powder (make sure it's Thai!)

    1. Heat oil* in a pan over high heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, veggies and chicken to pan and sautee.
    2. Add rice and mix together.
    3. Either make a well in the center of the rice and pour egg in, stirring it until lightly cooked, or simply pour the egg over the rice and stir to incorporate.
    4. Mix together stock, soy/fish sauce and curry powder, then pour over rice and stir until rice is evenly coated.
    5. Fold in pineapple and cashews. Continue mixing until they are heated, and then remove from stove.

    *I used chili oil. You can use any type.
    *I tend to prefer adding just a bit of soy/fish sauce while cooking so that each person can customize their own serving. To each his/her own, though.
    *Some lime or lemon juice would be a great addition!

    Have fun!