Pineapple Curry Fried Rice
The tang of curry is wafting through the house. I just ate the most wonderful fried rice sprinkled with the crunch of cashews, the bite of curry, the sweet juiciness of pineapple, and a touch of that most heavenly of herbs, fresh cilantro. The recipe came from the book Gourmet's America, a beautifully photographed volume that I love to page through but, for some reason, have rarely cooked from. Tonight was the night. Based on the results, I'll do more than just drool over these photos in the future.
CURRIED FRIED RICE WITH PINEAPPLE AND CASHEWS
1/4 c. canola oil
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 1/2 T. curry powder
1 c. chopped fresh pineapple (I used frozen chunks)
1/2 c. coarsely chopped roasted cashews
1/4 c. minced fresh cilantro
6 c. white rice, cooked (I used my rice cooker)
3 T. water
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper (I just added a sprinkle of pepper)
If you don't have cooked rice lying around, get your rice going. Pull out a very large skillet (at least 12 inches across, says the recipe, and I agree. I cut the recipe down a bit and it still filled my large skillet). Heat the oil on medium high until it's hot but not smoking. (It'll start making little popping noises when it's hot. You can also get your hand wet and fling water droplets into the pan and see if you get some snapping action; if you do, the oil is hot.) Put onion in the oil and stir, cooking until golden. Add curry powder and stir, just for about 5 seconds. Add the pineapple, cashews, cilantro, and cooked rice. Stir until well combined. Add the water, the salt, and the pepper and cook for about a minute.
That's it. Enjoy your rice, and the lovely after-smell.
Anyone else like fried rice? What is your favorite thing to put in it?
Labels: side dishes