Jazzed up Pineapple, Lemongrass, and Coconut Fried Rice served in a pineapple boat for a truly Southeast Asian flavor. Very fragrant and delicious!
I seldom buy pineapples because I often end up having to eat more than half the fruit myself. I would not have minded it as much if the pineapples were sweet, but sadly that isn’t always the case. Recently I bought one as I was craving Rojak, hence the Spicy Chocolate Rojak. That pineapple from Costa Rica was really sweet. I am hooked!
Fried Rice with a Southeast Asian Flavor
Knowing that I will not be able to use the entire fruit for the Rojak, I thought about using the other half for this Pineapple, Lemongrass, and Coconut Fried Rice. It worked out really well as there was enough pineapples for the two dishes and a little left over for snacking. I jazzed up the fried rice with lemongrass and pan fried coconut flakes, giving it a truly Southeast Asian flavor. Ro-Ri San and I enjoyed the dish but the taste was a little too exotic for the boys. They did, however, liked the presentation.
Pineapple Boat
If you are planning to use the pineapple shell to serve the rice, carefully slice the fruit in half lengthwise. Cut around the skin with a small paring knife, leaving about half an inch of flesh. Make several hash cuts on the flesh so that it can be easily scooped up with a spoon.
Tools Used in Making This Pineapple, Lemongrass, and Coconut Fried Rice
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.
• T-fal Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator Anti-Warp Base Glass Lid Cookware, 12-Inch, Gray
• Le Creuset of America Craft Series Medium Spatula – Marseille
For more tools and products used in my kitchen, please check out Roti n Rice’s Amazon Page.
INGREDIENTS
- 5 cups cooked rice
- 1 cup chopped pineapples
- 8 oz shrimps (peeled and deveined) (225g)
- ½ red bell pepper (finely diced)
- 1 cup frozen green peas (150g)
- ½ cup unsweetened dried grated coconut (pan fried)
- 2 lemongrass (thinly sliced the last 4 inches from the bottom)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tsp garlic chili sauce (optional)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small fry pan, dry fry coconut flakes until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan. Add lemongrass and garlic. Sauté till fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic chili sauce, pineapples, shrimps, red bell pepper, and frozen peas. Cook for about 3 minutes or until shrimps turn pink and start to curl.
- Add rice, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir till well combined and rice is dry, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Turn off heat. Sprinkle coconut flakes on the top. Stir to mix it in.
- Remove and serve immediately.
NUTRITION
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Suchitra says
March 11, 2011 at 9:52 amloved the shot of rice in the pineapple- really innovative! Recipe looks vibrant and I will love to try it without the shrimps!
Lyndsey says
March 11, 2011 at 10:38 amWow Biren this is stunning! I love pineapple and feel the same way about getting a whole one. I also have a hard time throwing away the tops…I now have several pineapple plants growing in my yard and a few in pots (they’ll fruit sooner). It’s such a disappointment when they just don’t have the flavor (I usually smell them before I buy them to make sure they smell like sweet pineapple). Fried rice is a favorite here because you can use anything in it…yours is fantastic!
Biren says
March 11, 2011 at 6:15 pmIt is wonderful that you can grow your own pineapples. I am excited for you. 🙂 I hope they turn out super sweet. Fried rice is so tasty and easy to make. You can throw almost anything init and it will taste good.
Belinda @zomppa says
March 11, 2011 at 12:42 pmI also always end up eating that pineapple – this has got to be one of the best fried rice ever. So wish I had some.
Cooking Gallery says
March 11, 2011 at 12:44 pmThis looks gorgeous and so delicious, Biren! I want some…:D)!
simply.food says
March 11, 2011 at 12:53 pmBeautiful clicks. The rice looks very colourful and tasty.
Laura says
March 11, 2011 at 2:43 pmlove the presentation and the toasted coconut flakes.
Biren says
March 11, 2011 at 6:18 pmThanks for visiting Laura! I hope you will visit again soon. 🙂
Victoria says
March 11, 2011 at 2:48 pmI LOVE pineapple fried rice. Easily one of my favorite ingredients for fried rice. Love the presentation in the carved out pineapple too. Beautiful 🙂
Carina - Kitchen Groovy says
March 11, 2011 at 3:04 pmOh my goodness, this looks SOOOO good! Reminds me of when I was a child eating at my grandparent’s house! LOVE IT!
fimère says
March 11, 2011 at 3:28 pmje découvre un beau blog ta recette est appétissante et joliment présentée bravo
bonne soirée
LeQuan says
March 11, 2011 at 3:52 pmBiren, I love everything about this dish; the presentation, the flavors, and the simplicity. The hardest part would be cutting the pineapple for me. I’m actually slightly allergic to pineapples, but this looks so good I have to try. I’m going to bookmark this. Thank you for sharing with us. Have a lovely weekend.
Biren says
March 11, 2011 at 6:21 pmCutting the pineapple is the most time consuming part. The rest is pretty easy. Perhaps you can get your hubby to cut it for you. 😉 You have a great weekend as well.
Pachecopatty says
March 11, 2011 at 7:45 pmMy family will love this and our son is the expert pineapple cutter who also loves to cook, I will forward him your link;-)
Reeni says
March 11, 2011 at 8:11 pmWhat a beautiful presentation Biren! The rice looks wonderful! I love the fresh and exotic flavors you incorporated.
A little bit of everything says
March 11, 2011 at 8:20 pmStunning presentation Biren. Love pineapple fried rice, next time i’m going to add some coconut like you. Great idea. Thanks for sharing
Nasi Lemak Lover says
March 11, 2011 at 8:49 pmThis must be very delicious and good!
5 Star Foodie says
March 11, 2011 at 10:10 pmThis fried rice sounds amazing, I love the lemongrass here! Beautiful presentation in the pineapple shell!
Anncoo says
March 12, 2011 at 2:28 amBiren, Love your creation on the pineapple fried rice with the addition of coconut flakes. I bet it must be very delicious 🙂 I love pineapple too especially the ones from Sarawak and Philippine. They are really sweet and juicy.
Joanne says
March 12, 2011 at 8:25 amI love the presentation of this dish! Served in the pineapple shell, it really is both aesthetically pleasing AND delicious!
kitchen flavours says
March 12, 2011 at 8:46 amStunning presentation, just as one would find from a magazine! Looks really good. Have not eaten pineapple fried rice in a while, now I’m craving for some!
Biren says
March 12, 2011 at 10:36 pmAww…thank you! 🙂 I have not had pineapple rice for a while and I am glad I made it. The lemongrass and kerisik made it very fragrant and tasty.
Hyosun Ro says
March 12, 2011 at 2:16 pmWhat a beautifully presented rice dish!
I love your blog and nominated you for the stylish blog award.
Biren says
March 12, 2011 at 10:32 pmThank you so much for nominating me. I am honored. 🙂
Cheah says
March 12, 2011 at 5:51 pmMy, this is really gorgeous! Yours look so yummy because it isn’t oily. Good clicks too!
Angie's Recipes says
March 12, 2011 at 11:38 pmThis is always a favourite of mine! Love that your added lemongrass and coconut in the rice.
tigerfish says
March 13, 2011 at 2:11 pmLove the combination of a variety of SE Asian flavors….a pineapple rice dish with coconut aroma. Mmmm…mmmm…mmmmmm
Tammy says
March 13, 2011 at 6:49 pmOh my goodness this rice looks so delish! Really wonderful recipe, I must try this soon!
Have a wonderful evening!
xx,
Tammy
Katie@Cozydelicious says
March 13, 2011 at 10:15 pmWhat a pretty dish! I love the sweet pineapple and am drooling right now!
denise @ bread expectations says
March 14, 2011 at 7:42 amLOL
I have the opposite problem – pineapple is so popular at our house, there is hardly ever any left over to do anything with! I don’t think I have ever made pineapple fried rice at home for this reason 😀 This does look very festive, colourful and tropical. I love the addition of lemongrass and crisp coconut!
Tiffany says
March 14, 2011 at 7:06 pmGreat flavors!
elisabeth@foodandthriftfinds says
March 14, 2011 at 7:24 pmWhat an exquisite and refreshing pineapple rice dish, or I would even serve it as a beautiful rice salad. So colorful, light, and refreshing.
Biren, I love the creativity of this elegant dish, and the presentation is “out of this world”, gorgeous!
xoxo
Jeannie says
March 15, 2011 at 1:52 amI love the presentation too! Love the novelty of eating out of a real pineapple bowl:D Never failed to order this dish whenever we eat out at a Thai restaurant. Looks delicious!
DongXing says
March 15, 2011 at 8:00 amHi Biren,
I did try to save the shell to do this but it was a total disaster. I did a fried rice without the lemongrass and kerisik – what an excellent idea. I will attempt this again as I do have another Costa Rican pineapple sitting on my kitchen counter. The last one was simply delicious and sickeningly sweet!
Biren says
March 15, 2011 at 10:01 amOh my…what happened! You have to use a paring knife to cut around the edges leaving about a half inch of flesh. Then make several cross hashes so that you can scoop or gently cut out the flesh. Do give it another try. 🙂 The lemongrass and kerisik made the rice really fragrant.
Magic of Spice says
March 15, 2011 at 1:52 pmThat is just gorgeous Biren and I love this recipe 🙂
Julie M. says
March 15, 2011 at 7:08 pmYum yum Biren! This isn’t too exotic for me. I’d gobble up an entire pineapple half’s worth no problem!
Nutmeg Nanny says
March 17, 2011 at 5:30 pmNot only is this beautiful but it looks tasty too! I love the idea of using a pineapple as a bowl.
cooking rookie says
May 19, 2012 at 3:34 amThis must be absolutely delicious! And look at that gorgeous presentation! Wow! How perfect for a party :-).