If you love rice, then you’ve got to try my Hawaiian Fried Rice recipe! This tropical dish comes together in just 20 minutes, is easy to make and is just so satisfying! You’ll discover new flavours with each and every bite.
My Hawaiian Fried Rice uses simple yet flavourful ingredients, including cooked rice, pineapple, yellow and green onions, red pepper, carrots and peas, garlic, ginger, cooked ham, eggs, soy sauce (or tamari), sesame oil and Sriracha. Just a friendly reminder that you’ll want to prep all of your ingredients in advance and have them waiting for you by the stove, as this dish comes together in the blink of an eye! Serve it alongside my Huli Huli Chicken for a little Hawaiian culinary adventure. Enjoy!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6 - 8
Ingredients:
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
2 Tbsp avocado oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, cooked (See Notes below)
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups rice, cooked (See Notes below)
1 1/2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or tamari)
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp Sriracha (optional)
2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into 1/4 inch cubes, divided (See Notes below)
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup cooked ham, cut into 1/4 inch cubes (See Notes below)
A thinly sliced green onion and cubed pineapple, as garnish
Instructions:
To a large skillet or wok set over medium heat, add 2 Tbsp oil, the yellow onion and red pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often, or until the onion is translucent and the vegetables have softened. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute before adding the cooked peas and carrots. Mix and cook all the vegetables for another minute.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, and push the sautéed vegetables to one side of the skillet. To the cleared side of the skillet, add the beaten eggs and, using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix the eggs into the vegetables and cook for 1 minute.
To the same skillet, toss in the rice, soy sauce (or tamari), sesame oil, Sriracha (optional), 1 1/2 cups pineapple, green onions and cooked ham and give it a good mix. Cook for another 2 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
Turn off the heat and transfer the fried rice to a large bowl. Garnish with thinly sliced green onion and the remaining 1/2 cup of cubed pineapple. Serve and enjoy!
Notes:
Frozen Peas and Carrots: Using frozen peas and chopped carrots is a big time-saver! Simply cook them in accordance with package instructions and then add them to the skillet or wok, as described above.
Selecting the Rice: Jasmine rice is a great option for this dish given its floral flavour profile. But, feel free to use whatever rice you have on hand - instant, plain, brown rice - anything goes! Just cook the rice in accordance with package instructions and you are good to go! Once cooked, let the rice slightly cool. This will give the rice the opportunity to dry out just a tad, which will promote better frying and an even cook.
I Have Leftover Rice, Can I Use It?: No problem! Yes - Just throw it into the skillet. Leftover rice works to your advantage in this recipe. It’s had the opportunity to fully cool, relax and dry out, making it ideal for frying.
Using Canned Pineapple: Fresh or canned pineapple can be used interchangeably in this recipe. However, if you are using canned pineapple, be sure to drain the pineapple juice and just use the diced fruit. The pineapple juice can be consumed as is or used in my Huli Huli Chicken recipe.
Substituting the Protein: You can simply substitute the cooked ham in this recipe with smoked turkey or grilled or baked chicken on a 1:1 basis. I have tried this recipe using both proteins and they pair beautifully with the ingredients in this dish.