IMHO, this rivals any take-out thai fried rice. I’ve made this a couple of times and have had consistent results. It takes some planning and shopping to have all the necessary ingredients that go into giving this a rich and complex flavor but SO worth it. Of course, as always anyone can tailor the recipe to personal taste preferences and add or omit ingredients. I’m sure that are as many versions as there are people!!!!!
There are alot of ingredients and some are not the typical ones anyone has on hand at all times in the pantry, like flour or sugar. A vegetarian version may omit the fish sauce, unless one is a pescatarian. I personally do not like the smell of the fish sauce but it blends so well with all the other ingredients and in the end adds a nice complexity to the flavor of the dish so that it is not easily identified in the end and does not overpower.
Versatility in the vegetables is also endless. You can add whatever are your favorites, whatever is in season at the moment, or whatever you have in your refrigerator when the urge strikes to make this amazing rice.
This is where planning takes all the spontaneity out of when the ‘urge strikes to make it for dinner’ ! That said, there isn’t too much advanced planning. And this is so that you can make the rice, let it cool, and ideally have it cool in the refrigerator overnight so that it dries out. If you use the rice when it is still warm or slightly cooled on the same day, it will be too mushy when you add it to the pan of the sizzling vegetables and spices.
So now let’s assume the rice has cooled overnight. Now prepping the vegetables……..for this version, I added zucchini, green beans, red onion, scallion, red pepper. Scrambled eggs prepared and set aside, Pineapple diced small. Chicken also cooked and set aside (omit for vegetarian version). Rice cooked and cooled.
getting ingredients prepped 
red onion 
cooked and cooled rice 
diced pineapple
I added sauted chicken to my version but it can easily be omitted for an equally delicious meal. And then I set out all of the other flavorings and spices that I will be adding to the saute pan prior to adding the rice.
All the work is in the prep. So the rice is cooked ahead. The chicken I saute and then set aside. The green beans and zucchini are best if they are blanched so they don’t get overcooked at the time of actually making the rice. Any vegetables that are diced small and will soften in 2-3 min. do no have to be blanched as they can be added in the last minutes of cooking to have them stay crisp tender.
To garnish this dish, use the cashews or try using this roasted spiced nut mixture that add some more crunch and spiciness.
- 1 1/4 cup jasmine rice
- 30 TBSP liquid, divided 19 T. coconut milk, 7 T. pineapple juice, 4 T. water
- 1 red bell pepper, small dice
- 4 scallions (green onions), sliced thin
- 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
- 1 zucchini, cubed into bite sized pieces
- green beans, trimmed (1-2 handfuls)
- 2 cups cubed pineapple more or less, to taste
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 1/2 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 TBSP fish sauce optional
- 2 TBSP brown sugar
- 2 tsp curry powder any blend
- 3 1/2 TBSP coconut oil, divided 1/2 T. for eggs, 1 T. for chicken, 2 T. for saute
- 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup cashews, some chopped if desired for garnish
- 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces optional
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Add rice and liquid to medium sized sauce pan and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for ~ 15 min. Timing depends of type of rice so vary accordingly. Set aside to cool. Can be made ~ 4 hrs up to 1 day in advance.
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Blanch zucchini (2-3 min.), green beans, (~4 min.) and any other veggies that take longer than 2-3 min. to soften when added to heat. Submerge in ice bath to stop the cooking. Lay out on kitchen towel to dry.
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Add 1/2 T. coconut oil to saute pan, scramble eggs lightly and add to pan, stirring occasionally until cooked but not too dry. Set aside.
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Use 1 TBSP coconut oil to saute chicken and set aside.
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Use remaining 2 TBSP. coconut oil, add red onion to pan and cook on low/medium heat stirring occasionally until softened.
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Add all of the spices and sauces and stir, allowing to deepen in flavor for ~ 1 min.
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Add the cooled rice and reserved egg and stir until the rice is coated with the base mixture.
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Add vegetables, pineapple, and chicken if using and stir to coat evenly. The mixture may need additional liquid and I add some pineapple juice to loosen things up here if needed.
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Garnish with the cashews. Since I have some of my roasted spiced nuts on hand, I used those. Enjoy!
