Pineapple Spam Fried Rice

We were in Hawaii when we had the great fortune to try this at Sam Choy's restaurant.  Spam is super popular in Hawaii.  McDonalds has a breakfast meal that includes Spam, eggs and rice.  It was absolutely great. So, through trial and error and lots of experimenting, I came up with this recipe that my husband believes is just as good if not better than the one we had in Hawaii.

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice (preferably from previous day)
1 tin of Spam (cut into small bite size cubes)
2 green onions (chopped)
1 cup of peas and carrots (thaw first if frozen)
3.5 oz can of pineapple chunks or fresh pineapple
2 tblsp light soy sauce
2 tblsp canola or olive oil
1 tblsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cloves garlic (minced)
2 eggs (beaten)

Heat oil and butter in a deep fry pan.  Add the Spam and stir fry until slightly brown.  Add garlic and onion and saute for approximately 2 minutes.  Add peas and carrots until heated through.  Push all ingredients to the side and pour eggs.  Scramble eggs until no longer runny.  Add rice and pineapple chunks.  Continue stirring until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Add soy sauce and mix well to ensure rice mixture is well coated. Season with salt and pepper.

Bacon and Egg Fried Rice

I am always looking for something different for breakfast.  I enjoy the standard American fare, but I like to do something different just to make it interesting.  With the daily grind to the office, I usually do something quick or fast food.  But on the weekends, it's nice to do something different.  Fried rice is such a versatile dish.  You can make it with just about anything.  This is a breakfast fried rice.  I normally use garlic and ginger, but since this is breakfast, I thought I would forgo it this time.  Use any bacon you prefer.  I find applewood bacon is really good with this dish. 

Ingredients:

2 tbls canola or olive oil
4 Eggs (beaten)
6-8 slices of bacon  (cut into bitesize pieces)
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots (or peas only if preferred)
2 stalks of green onions (chopped)
3 cups cooked rice
3-4 tblsp light soy sauce
2 tblsp sesame oil
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a wok or deep skillet.  On medium heat, add the beaten eggs and season with salt and pepper.  Scramble the eggs until soft but not runny.  Remove the eggs from the skillet.  Increase the heat and add the bacon to the skillet and cook until brown and crisp.  Add the green onion and cook until heated through, approximately 1minute.  Add the green peas and carrots and continue stirring until heated through.  Add in the rice. Reduce the heat to medium and continue stirring, breaking up the rice as you go.  When all the ingredients are incorporated, add soy sauce; continue stirring until soy sauce is well mixed and rice is well coated.  Drizzle the sesame oil and return the eggs into the skillet.  Continue cooking, breaking up the scrambled eggs so that it can be completed incorporated.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  If rice appears too light, add a little more of the soy sauce being careful not to add too much as this will make the dish very dark and salty.  Serve immediately with your favorite morning beverage.

Fried Brown Rice

I recently wrote an article on brown rice based on a recent discovery that this very healthy food has changed. The new organic growing and processing methods has definitely changed this rice.  So, I decided to start adding brown rice to my repetoire.  Check out this new version of fried rice.  It goes great with any of your Asian dishes.

Ingredients:

2 tblsp sesame oil
2 green onions (chopped)
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 tblsp pine nuts
2 tblsp soy sauce
1 small red chillie (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1/2 inch ginger (minced)
Salt and pepper

Heat sesame oil in a frying pan or work.  Add garlic and ginger, stirring continuously for approximately 1 minute.  Add green onions and pine nuts and continue stirring for  2 minutes until pine nuts have a light golden color.  Add the brown rice and the soy sauce.  Continue stirring until rice clumps are removed and rice is well incorporated with the other ingredients (approximately 3 minutes).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a bowl and garnish with the red chillie. Enjoy with your favorite Chinese or Asian toppings.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Everyone has a version of fried rice. I found several during my reseach and taste testing. It is absolutely amazing, but you will find everyone uses the same basic ingredients, the  seasoning may change which creates the uniqueness. This one is super easy and is great when using yesterday's leftover rice.   I prefer spring onions to regular onions and I like garlic in mine.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked long grain rice (jasmine or basmati)
2 eggs
2 tblsp oil (canola, peanut or olive)
1 tsp ginger (grated)
1 1/2 cup shelled and deveined shrimp (roughly chopped)
2 stalks of green onions (finely chopped)
2-3 tblsp soy sauce
3 tblsp butter
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 cup carrots (finely chopped)
1/2 cup bean sprouts
Salt and pepper

Beat eggs separately and season with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tblsp of oil in a pan.  pour one of the beaten egg into a large frying pan and fry on one side until firm and and sides begin to brown (approximately 2 minutes). Flip egg and continue to cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes until edges begin to brown and egg is cooked through.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Heat 1 tblsp oil with 1 tblsp butter in the large frying pan.  Add green onions and carrots. Stir for approximately 1 minute and add garlic, ginger and shrimp.

Continue to stir for another minute until garlic and ginger is well incorporated with the green onions and carrots and shrimp is slightly pink.  Add another tablespoon of the butter into the pan.  When butter is melted and heated, add rice. Continue stirring. Do not allow rice to stick to the bottom of the pan. Continue stirring, add the beans sprouts, until everything is mixed thoroughly.  Lower heat to medium-low.  Create a well in the middle of the rice mixture where the bottom of the pan appears.  Add the last table spoon of butter.  Pour  the last beaten egg into the center.  Allow egg to cook gently constantly stirring.  When egg is still soft but not runny, stir the rice mixture into the egg and continue stirring until egg is incorporated into the rice mixture. Slowly add soy sauce and continue stirring until soy sauce is evently distributed.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon into small bowls. Turn bowls over onto separate plates creating a small mound.  Slice the previously cooked egg into thin strips. Garnish rice with strips of the cooked egg.  Serve with your favorite Chinese dish and/or egg rolls.  Or enjoy alone as a light meal for lunch or dinner.

Fried Rice with Chorizo and Eggs

This is a classic breakfast from the Philippines.  It is a filling and hearty meal to start out the day.  The chorizo used is the Spanish version (very different from the Mexican Chorizo; they don't come close) or longaniza (Philippine sweet sausage).  This is great for using up leftover rice.  We occasionally do this for breakfast on the weekends. It is a great comfort food.  Many serve it with coconut vinegar and patis (fish sauce) to dip the chorizo in.  Note: Fish sauce can be purchased at your local Asian grocery store.

Ingredients:

2-3 cups leftover cooked rice

3-5 tblsp canola or olive oil

3-4 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 small onion (finely chopped)

2 small chorizo or longaniza (cut diagonally)

4 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

coconut vinegar and patis (fish sauce) for dipping.

Heat the 2-3 tblsp of oil in a deep non-stick skillet.  Add onion and garlic; cook stirring occasionally until onion and garlic are brown (do not burn).  Add the rice, breaking up the lumps.  Stir-fry until the garlic and onions are incorporated and the rice is heated through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate frying pan or wok, add 1 tblsp of oil and fry the chorizo/sausages until lightly crisp on both sides.  Remove from pan and allow to drain on paper towel.

In another pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the eggs.  Fry either sunny side up or over easy (turning the eggs over carefully without breaking the yolk). Cook eggs to preferred doneness.  Season eggs with salt and pepper.

Spoon rice into a small bowl and pack lightly, turn bowl over on a plate to create a small mound of rice.  Arrange chorizo/sausage around the rice.  Top the rice with an egg.  Serve with coconut vinegar and patis for dipping the chorizo/sausage.