Hear me out. Yesterday I came across a food blogger prob. I made carry-out inspired Kung Pao Shrimp, a recipe that I’ve been developing for a while now and was super dooper excited to give to you. I cooked it up, snapped some shots, wrote it up, then edited my pics. THEN THERE IT WAS.
After I had published the recipe – and looked at it a bazillion times on different outlets – I noticed something slightly off. I ran to the fridge to double check the leftovers – could it be? Do my green peppers look as awful in person as they do in these pictures? YOU GUYS. I don’t know what I did, but somewhere in the editing process I ruined the look of the peppers. I can’t look at the pictures without seeing the awful discolored green-slime-lookin’-pepper. Who is going to want to be hungry after seeing that? People eat with their eyes Lindsay, get rid of this pronto.
I played with the pictures a few more failing times before realizing there was no hope. Don’t get me wrong, the recipe was pretty bangin’. The stir-fry was spicy and delicious and I was really proud with what I came up with, but those dang pictures ruined the post. But hey, maybe I am just being my female self and letting self-consciousness get the best of me, so I’ll include that recipe in this post for now, but I do plan on re-making and giving it its own post.
So anyways, when in doubt make Hawaiian fried rice? Is that how it goes?
I had plenty of leftover garlic, ginger, peppers, onion, rice – you name it, I had it. Dad and I went to an auction a few weeks ago where I picked up a cute little wooden pineapple bowl. I thought why not use my fun find, fail-post leftovers, and whip up some fried rice? Better yet, why not go get some fresh fruit and turn that rice tropical. I mean it’s April 2nd, practically summer.
I love making fried rice because just like stir-fry, it’s a great way to purge the fridge. Don’t limit yourself to what I put in mine, throw in some carrot or peas or use cashews instead of peanuts. Do your thang. I let the aromatic ginger and garlic flavor the dish along with the sweet pineapple and nutty peanuts. The little bit of soy sauce and sesame oil adds a bit of color and a richness. Really though, it won’t make or break the dish. You really want the rice to be at least a day old. Blah, blah, you want this now right? It stinks, but I promise it will produce a better dish. The rice will be dry and eliminate any chances of turning into mush. I made mine early yesterday and went ahead and chopped up all my veggies. Today all I had to do was cook, eat, and be happy clean. I’m not going to lie, the pineapple boat was a litttle messy. And by little messy I mean I’m covered in pineapple stick.
If you do want to risk the mess, it’s a super simple technique. Cut the pineapple in half, cut the pieces, scoop em’ out, then scoop out any extra pulp in the bottom of the “boat.” Reserve the messy pieces along with the juice and throw it in tomorrow’s smoothie. The freshest pineapples have zero dents or blemishes and a strong pineapple odor from the base. Freshest is also best-est so I think the mess is worth it, but after scrubbing the floor/table/knifes/boards/hair I kinda wished I used pre-cut pineapples.
Woks are most ideal for fried rice, but I don’t have one so I used my not so non-stick heavy bottom skillet. Yeah, I guess we didn’t want to be non-stick today.
Despite my fail-photo shoot, the messy pineapple, and my pan now covered with rice, the final result made it all worth it. It’s sweet from the pineapples, savory from the pepper, aromatic from the ginger, salty from the ham, and nutty from the roasted peanuts. Now I’m going to go eat my tropical rice and pretend I’m somewhere more tropical than Maryland.
**Note on the ham steak: I asked the lady at the deli for a slice of ham 1/2″ thick. You can get it any way you’d like, but this way you can choose how thick or thin you want your ham. Speaking of ham, use this recipe will be perfect for Easter leftovers!
- 1 small onion - small dice
- 2 garlic cloves - minced
- 1/2" ginger root - peeled, minced
- 2 scallions - sliced (green and white part)
- red bell pepper - small dice (can use red, green, yellow, or orange)
- 1/2 c. ham steak - small dice
- 3 c. cooked brown rice, preferably 1 day old (3 c. cooked is 1 c. dry)
- 1 pineapple
- 2 t. low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 t. sesame oil
- 1/4 c. peanuts - toasted
- First prepare the pineapple. With a sharp chef's knife cut the pineapple in half lengthwise. Be careful as it may get tough around the core. Open the pineapple and set one half aside (only need half for recipe).
- Using a paring knife, cut around the entire edge of the pineapple. Use a sturdy spoon to scoop center out. Slice pineapples into small chunks. Reserve pineapple "boat" and set chunks aside.
- Heat enough oil to barely coat the bottom of a large skillet to medium heat. Add the onions and cook 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and white part of the scallions and cook another minute or two, or until fragrant.
- In the meantime, scramble the egg in a separate pan. Set aside once finished.
- Add the pepper and ham and cook until starting to slightly color.
- Add the rice, scrambled egg, and pineapple and stir to combine. Cook until the rice slightly browns or "fries." Add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Adjust if needed. Taste for salt and pepper.
- Add the green parts of the scallion for garnish or cilantro. Top with toasted peanuts. Portion in pineapple boat
- Use shrimp or chicken instead of ham, just make sure both are cooked before adding to the rice.
- I purged my fridge and used more flavorful yums like green pepper and mango. Be creative and use what you already have!
- canola oil as needed
- 1 red pepper - medium dice (1/2" pieces)
- 1 green pepper - medium dice
- 1 onion - medium dice
- 2 stalks celery - medium dice
- 1 t. fresh ginger - minced (about 1/4" of root)
- 1 t. garlic - minced (about 2 cloves)
- 1/4 t. red pepper flakes (or more if you can handle the heat!)
- pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 lb. shrimp - peeled and deveined
- 1 1/2 t. cornstarch
- 1/4 c. water
- 1 orange - freshly squeezed
- 2 T. low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 T. rice vinegar
- scallion - chopped
- 1/4 c. toasted peanuts - crushed if desired
- Heat about two tablespoons of oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the peppers, onion, and celery. Cook over medium heat covered until tender, stirring often (5-6 minutes).
- Add the ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant (2 minutes).
- Add the shrimp and cook until no longer pink on both sides (3-4 minutes).
- Mix the water and cornstarch to create a slurry. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, orange juice, and slurry to the pan. Stir until thickened.
- Reduce heat to low and cook another minute.
- If desired, toss in a tablespoon of sesame oil for a richness of flavor.
- Garnish with scallions and toasted peanuts. Serve over brown rice if desired.
- Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to YOUR liking. The more, the spicier.
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