Well, that’s a mouthful. And in addition to being a mouthful to say, Chili Mango Shrimp Pineapple Fried Rice is basically a pineapple full. Because, I came to the conclusion that: If you’re going to make pineapple fried rice, you may as well serve it in a pineapple. Right? It would be silly not to. After all, you’re chopping up a pineapple anyway; may as well put it to use. I’m all about repurposing.
I could be lying, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never made fried rice before. But I do love it. Especially when pineapple is involved. And shrimp. Because you could put shrimp in my morning cereal and I’d be happy. That might be a lie. But if it were something simple like Cheerios, I’d probably be OK with it.
I marinated the shrimp in a chili mango glaze, but you don’t have to. Honestly, plain old shrimp would be fabulous in this dish, but I wanted to tie in some more tropical flavors. I also used brown rice, but you can certainly use any kind. Either way, this is one fried rice recipe I’ll definitely be making again and again!
Chili Mango Shrimp Pineapple Fried Rice (serves about 6):
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- 4 C (leftover) cooked brown rice
- 1 batch chili mango shrimp (see recipe below)
- 3 large eggs
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 habanero, chopped finely
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 Tsoy sauce
- 1 C peas, thawed if using frozen
- 1 pineapple, hollowed out and cut into chunks
- 1 t sesame oil
It’s always said that it’s best to use “leftover” rice when making fried rice. Which is nice, except for the fact that I don’t often have a lot of leftover rice lying around my kitchen. I don’t eat a lot of rice and when I do, I don’t generally have enough leftovers for a batch of fried rice. So, I cooked mine ahead of time. The key is to use rice that has dried out a bit. So, if you are making fresh rice, try to make it earlier in the day… Or at least make it right away and stick it in the fridge while you complete the rest of this recipe.
Once your rice situation is determined, it’s best to start on the shrimp since it should marinate for a bit. In fact, you can do the marinade part earlier in the day to save time before dinner. But don’t worry- just because this recipe calls for lots of ingredients, it’s really not too tough or time-consuming. I promise!
Chili Mango Shrimp:
- 1 C mango, peeled and cubed
- 2 T chili paste
- 1 T fresh ginger, minced
- 2 T red wine vinegar
- 1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined
When I was trying to decide what kind of shrimp to use for this dish, I started thinking I wanted something a little spicy. But with a touch of sweetness. Mango brought just the right amount of tropical sweetness to a bit of chili paste… which is exactly what you need when you’re serving a meal in a pineapple. In my own humble opinion.
In the bowl of a food processor (I used my mini!), puree cubed mango.
Now, in a small saucepan, combine mango puree, chili paste, minced ginger, and vinegar. Cook over medium-low heat, for about 15 minutes, until it gets a bit shiny.
Put shrimp and mango chili sauce in a bowl and make sure shrimp is well-coated. Place in fridge to marinate for about 30 minutes to an hour. Or more if you’re making this ahead of time.
Make sure all your veggies are chopped and minced appropriately. This really is the most time-consuming part of the recipe.
When you’re ready to get the fried rice show on the road, cook the shrimp in its marinate in a wok or sauté pan (clearly, I need a larger wok… hello, wedding registry!). Cook shrimp over medium-high heat for about a minute on each side, until almost cooked through. Remove to a separate plate or bowl.
I did a quick wash of my wok before putting it back on the heat at medium. Add the eggs and quickly whisk to scramble a bit, until they’re almost cooked through. Move the eggs to the plate/bowl with the shrimp.
Wipe wok with a paper towel as best you can (or in my case, not well at all) and then return to high heat. Add 1 T olive oil to coat pan. When it’s hot, add scallions, habaneros, red peppers, and garlic to the wok. Cook for about a minute, until nice and fragrant.
Now, add rice to the pan and stir well. Let sit for about 1-2 minutes, until rice starts to sizzle. Then stir and repeat.
Drizzle soy sauce over rice and mix well. Then add peas, cooked eggs, shrimp, pineapple, and sesame oil. Toss to combine.
In case you’re wondering how to cut the pineapple, I really had no idea what I was doing. So I called Chris to the kitchen and had him go to town on it with the sharpest knife we could find.
Basically, he cut the pineapple in half.
Cut out the center flesh.
And continued cleaning up the pineapple, so it made a nice bowl. We cut the flesh (I know, that word is gross) into cubes to add into the fried rice.
And then we served the rice in the pineapple halves. See? The pineapple acts as a serving dish! Or just your own personal bowl. Because, I’m not going to lie. Chris and I definitely ate right our of our own pineapple halves.
Yes, I know that’s a lot of rice. And it’s fried. But it’s also brown rice. And to be fair, the pineapple wasn’t that big and not quite as hollowed out as much as it could have been and all of the rice most definitely did not fit. And furthermore, we were hungry.
Please. Just stop judging. This was a tropical delight and I guarantee you won’t be able to stop eating it once you start either. Yes, there was quite a lot going on in this dish, but it all fit so perfectly together. I will most definitely be making this again and again, but I also love that there are so many ways to simplify it. You don’t even have to use shrimp OR pineapple if you just want a quick fried rice.
But come on; that pineapple.
Perhaps I’ll shellac the pineapple and use it as a serving dish for years to come.
What are your favorite fried rice ingredients? Pineapple or no?
[Sues]
I actually really like vegetarian fried rice. BTW, LOVE the pineapple bowl presentation!
This looks so good! I’ve always wanted to make pineapple fried rice, but the Thai place down the street from me makes it so deliciously that I never have a reason to make it on my own. This is a good excuse to make it.
Looks SO good. Love the presentation (and your comment about not wiping down the pan well hehe)!
Totally book marked! Josh is obsessed with pineapple- he would go NUTS for this dinner. Looks pretty and I’m sure it tastes amazing
Yum! Looks great.
awesome recipe Sues! When I get Thai takeout, it’s always mango fried rice with scallions, carrots, shrimp, onions…I’ve been meaning to recreate it. this recipe has totally inspired me to do so!
Looks so pretty and so delicious! Let me know if the shellac idea works out
I’ve only made fried rice once and it was a kimchi fried rice that we LOVED.
such a great presentation!
It looks delicious and the presentation is very pretty.
This looks incredibly good! And I love the way you served it! So cute!
This is such a fun way to serve a dish! Especially in the summertime.
The pineapples are fun! I’m love whipping up fried rice for lunches and yours looks so tasty!
That’s something to make when you have people over even just for the presentation! But it also looks delicious.
What a gorgeous presentation! I love pineapple in just about anything
I so wish I had some of that rice right now!!
I love this idea! serving it in a pineapple is such a cute idea
um, awesome! i once went to a thai restaurant in Santa Barbara with my dad. he wanted the pineapple fried rice, and asked *specifically* if it was served in a pineapple. they confirmed it was, so he ordered it!
wow that looks lovely! I am definitely bookmarking this one
This looks sooo tasty, oh my gosh everything I love in one dish! Beautiful presentation too!
This looks awesome. I love that you served it in a pineapple once. I cut a pineapple once…it made the overpriced pre-cut pineapple at Whole Foods look even more desirable
Next time I’ll try the call-the-husband- technique!
this looks so fun!! and delicious
These chili mango shrimp pineapples with fried rice look great. Thanks for the post and for the inspiring photos.