Thai food recipes: Pineapple fried rice (khao pad sapparot)

Pineapple fried rice (khao pad sapparot) is a popular dish that features on many menus, especially in Southern Thailand. If you’re hankering for a taste of Thailand before your next visit, this dish is quick and easy to make at home. Ready in under 30 minutes, this healthy meal can be eaten at anytime, but we think it’s ideal for summer days or BBQs. 

Khao pad sapparot recipe

This recipe is from Khun Praew at Hungry in Thailand, but this is a versatile dish which can easily be adapted to suit different tastes. Although this recipe uses chicken, this can be swapped for shrimp, pork, or beef. For vegetarians, tofu and additional vegetables like bell pepper can be used.

Serves: 3 people
Preparation time: 15 minutes 
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 30ml vegetable oil
• 100g chicken (breast or thighs) sliced into bite-size pieces
• 35g carrot, diced
• 50g onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 eggs
• 30ml light soy sauce
• 5g white sugar
• 3g salt
• 3g yellow curry powder
• 400g cooked jasmine rice 
• 200g sweet fresh pineapple, chunked
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 30g cashew nuts (optional but recommended)

All about the pineapple
The key to this dish is the pineapple. Be sure to use a fresh, sweet pineapple. If you use canned pineapple, the dish loses its punch and will either be overly sweet or too bland. 

Making the pineapple bowl

Although you don’t have to serve this dish in a pineapple bowl, it looks fantastic when you do and conjures up memories of eating khao pad sapparot in Thailand.

To make the pineapple bowl:

• Use a sharp knife to cut the pineapple in half lengthwise.
• Scoop out the flesh from one half to create a bowl. 
• Use a spoon to scrape out any extra juice or bits of fruit.
• Dice the scooped pineapple into small chunks and add it to your fried rice during the final stir.
• Spoon the finished Thai pineapple fried rice into the pineapple shell and garnish.

Method

• Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. 
• Add minced garlic and stir until fragrant and golden.
• Add sliced chicken and stir-fry until it’s nearly cooked through, about 80%.
• Add in diced carrots and onions. 
• Stir-fry for another minute until slightly softened.
• Push everything to one side of the wok and crack the eggs into the space.
• Let the eggs set slightly, then scramble and mix through the other ingredients.
• Season with light soy sauce, white sugar, salt, and yellow curry powder. 
• Stir well to coat everything evenly.
• Add the cooked rice, breaking apart any clumps, and mix until the rice is fully coated in the curry sauce.
• Gently mix in the pineapple chunks, cashews, and sliced green onions. 
• Toss to combine.
• Serve in the pineapple bowl you prepared earlier.

Cooking tips

• Chilled day-old jasmine rice is best, but you can use brown rice or cauliflower rice for a lighter option.
• Dice the onions small so they cook evenly and mix well with the rice.
• Roasted peanuts can be used as an alternative to cashew nuts.
• To make a vegetarian version, swap the chicken and eggs for tofu and add extra stir-fry vegetables.
• Extra vegetables can be used to bulk it up, e.g. bell peppers, peas, baby corn, broccoli.
• If you like your Thai food spicy, top this dish with Thai chilli flakes, or stir in a few sliced chillies for a spicy kick.

Health benefits

Pineapple: Helps fight free radicals, reduce inflammation and helps repair cells damaged by infection.
Onion: Helps relieve cold and cough symptoms.
Garlic: Garlic is a natural antibiotic with the allicin in the garlic helping the body’s immune system.
Cashew nuts: Cashews contain zinc, which helps the immune system work effectively, reducing the chance of infection.

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