A quick one-bowl meal served in a pineapple shell. Try this easy pineapple fried rice with succulent beef cubes! It has a balanced flavour of savoury and sweet.
This week, pineapples are on sale in several of my local supermarkets. I purchased quite a few the other day. It’s one of my favourite tropical fruits. Apart from enjoying it raw, I also love using it to add sweet flavour to my savoury dishes. Having leftover rice to hand, I made pineapple fried rice with beef and bell pepper (牛肉菠萝炒饭), a very simple one-bowl meal which has a balanced flavour of savoury and sweet.
Use shell as a serving bowl
I was totally fascinated by the look of pineapples when I first saw them at the age of ten. My dad brought some home from a business trip to Guangdong province (Canton). At that time, in the North-west of China where I lived, there wasn’t any tropical fruits available in small towns. Years later in a restaurant, I had a pineapple dish served in its own shell. I thought it was a beautiful presentation and wanted to imitate it in my own kitchen.
Using pineapple shell as a bowl, it’s not only visually appealing, but it also adds extra aroma to the dish. Take today’s beef & pineapple fried rice for example. When freshly fried rice is in contact with the shell (which still has quite a bit of flesh on it), the heat helps to release more fragrance from the pineapple skin.
Make the beef tender and moist
The protein I add to my pineapple fried rice is tender, moist beef cubes. For best result, I suggest you use flank or skirt steak and marinate it with cornstarch to tenderise. Another key is to fry the beef briefly. Prolonged cooking always makes it tougher in texture.
Like the method I explained in my recipe on black pepper beef, firstly you need to quickly fry the marinated beef then dish it out. Add it to other ingredients at the end of the cooking procedure. I also use diced red bell pepper in this dish to add a bit of colour and a crunchy texture.
Keep rice grains in shape
As you may know, you need to use leftover (cooked) rice for Chinese fried rice. Although the rice is being cooked for a second time it should still retain its shape and texture. To avoid mushy rice or sticky lumps of rice, I have a few tips for you:
- Do not use leftover rice which has been overcooked to a very sticky texture.
- Keep the leftover rice refrigerated prior to frying.
- Add a bit of water to the refrigerated rice then gently loosen up the grains with a fork.
Other rice recipes on the blog
Looking for more inspirations for cooking rice? Check out these delicious dishes:
Beef and pineapple fried rice (菠萝炒饭)
Ingredients
For marinating the beef
- 200 g beef, diced - 7oz, see note 1
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
For frying the rice
- 1 ripe pineapple - see note 2
- 2 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
- 2 stalk scallions - finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper - diced
- 500 g cooked rice - 4 cups, see note 3
- 4 teaspoon light soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt - or to taste
Instructions
- Mix beef with cornstarch, sesame oil and rice wine. Leave to marinate for about 10 minutes.
- Halve the pineapple. Take out the flesh and dice it (as shown in images). Keep the shell for later use.
- Heat up a wok (or a deep frying pan) over high heat. Pour in oil, then stir in beef. Fry until its colour becomes pale. Dish out and set aside (leave any oil in the wok).
- Put scallions and bell pepper in the wok. Fry for 1 minute or so.
- Add diced pineapple and cooked rice. Fry until the rice is piping hot. Put in the beef, along with light soy sauce and salt. Give everything a final stir to distribute the seasonings.
- Put the fried rice into pineapple shells. Serve immediately.
NOTES
NUTRITION DISCLOSURE: Nutritional information on this website is provided as a courtesy to readers. It should be considered estimates. Please use your own brand nutritional values or your preferred nutrition calculator to double check against our estimates.
Love pineapple fried rice. I have usually had a Thai version but am glad I found a Chinese version. One question before I attempt this. It maybe a stupid question but the recipe doesn’t say when to add the soy sauce. Should I assume once the rice is piping hot?
Thank you! Love your recipes 🥰
Thank you Mary for pointing out the typo (I’ve just edited the recipe). Yes, add light soy sauce and a little salt at the very end. Happy cooking!
I was drawn by the color and unique presentation of this dish, so I tried it last Saturday. Even though cutting the pineapple into a bowl shape was a lot of work, I had a good time. Plus the best part is that my family enjoyed the presentation and flavor. Now onto trying the next dish! Many thanks!
So happy to know people like you who enjoy the time in the kitchen (despite of frustration you have to face from time to time). Looking forward to your next adventure!