Ingredients:- 1 cup small cooked shrimp (prawns)*
- 8 rings canned pineapple, drained and retaining juice
- 1/2 large carrot
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/2 white, sweet onion, chopped
- 1 green/spring onion, white and green sections
- 2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed
- 1 teaspoon minced/crushed garlic
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger**
- 3-4 cups cold cooked rice, scented jasmine or basmati if possible
- 1 to 2 tablespoons light soy sauce or sweet soy sauce***
- 1 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste (Indian curry powders, such as Madras, are also good for a kick)
- 1 cup frozen or fresh small peas
- 1/2 cup cubed, cooked ham
- Sugar, to taste (omit if using sweet soy sauce)
- 1 jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and chopped (optional)****
- Garnish as desired (see the recipe directions for suggestions)
- small amount of toasted, shredded coconut for garnish
- small amount of toasted, sliced almonds for garnish
- salt & pepper to taste
Day ahead:
- The day ahead, I pre-cooked the long grain rice and put it in the refrigerator in a sealed bowl over night. Cold rice is easier to cook in the wok later and gets less sticky.
- I also quickly pan-fried the shrimp (about 2 minutes)
- I lightly toasted 1/4 cup shredded coconut (cool, then store in a sealed bowl)
- I lightly toasted 1/4 cup sliced almonds (cool, then store in a sealed bowl)
- Peel and chop the onion. Put in small bowl to the side.
- Mince/press 2-3 cloves of garlic and put in a small bowl.
- Grate the fresh ginger and add to the bowl with the garlic. Put to the side.
- Cut the shrimp in half if desired and put into a bowl to the side.
- Cube ham and add to the shrimp bowl.
- Cut the pineapple rings into small wedges. Add to shrimp/ham bowl and put to the side.
- Wash/dry and grate the carrot and put into a medium sized bowl.
- Wash/dry the bell pepper, remove the seeds and cut into bite-sized chunks. Add to the bowl with the carrots and put to the side.
- Wash and finely slice the green onion. Put in a small bowl.
- Add the curry powder to the green onion bowl and put to the side.
- Next, arrange your small bowls in the order of which you will add them to the wok. This makes life much easier.
- Heat a wok or large, deep frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the oil, rotating the pan so that it coats the bottom and sides.
- When the oil is hot and shimmers, add the onion. Stir-fry for 1 minute. The onions will soften and begin to look opaque.
- Add the garlic& ginger and stir-fry for about 30 seconds only. You do not want to burn the garlic.
- Add the saved pineapple juice.
- Immediately after juice, Add the red bell pepper, peas, and carrots. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes. The vegetables will start to cook.
- Add the pineapple, ham, and the shrimp. Stir-fry briefly.
- Add the rice, and cook for about 2 minutes, continually stirring and tossing until it becomes shiny.
- Stir in the soy sauce.
- Stir in the green onion, curry powder and sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning and salt/pepper to taste, if desired.
- Serve hot.
*Use whatever size shrimp/prawns that you like. Make sure that they are deveined and shelled. If large, cut into pieces.
**Freshly grated ginger really works the best. I keep a ginger root in a freezer bag and grate directly while frozen.
*** Depending on where you live, different types of soy sauce are available and still can be used. If you are using a light soy sauce (ie Kikkoman type) then omit extra salt. If using a sweet soy sauce, omit the sugar. If you are using a mid-sweet/salty soy sauce season to taste.
**** The jalapeno is completely optional. Also, you can substitute any chile that you want. If you want it hotter, you a hotter chile and keep the seeds. If you don't want it spicy, omit the chile.
Garnish Suggestions: toasted coconut, crushed peanuts, and/or fresh mint sprigs or cilantro. While the coconut and almonds may sound a bit odd to some, they really do work in the dish and add another layer of texture and flavor.
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