Fried rice with pineapple (Khao pad supparot)

Indian fried rice tends to look dark and mushy. This is because the soy brand manufacturers get the chefs to overload the recipe with dark soy sauce, which overpowers all the flavour with salt and chemicals. I use a naturally brewed Japanese soy sauce, Kikkoman, because of its beautiful umami flavour and light colour.

This recipe is a classic Thai dish. It is a quick wok-fried dish with two main components: pineapple and rice. The seasoning is mild, with a touch of soy sauce and crisp cashew nuts. The look is beautiful, light, and refreshing, with bites of sweetness from the pineapple, earthiness from the cashew nuts, and beautifully balanced flavours. This is a rice that will be enjoyed on the table, so make sure you make extra, especially for the kids.

This is a thin cookbook filled with outstanding vegan recipes. Simple recipes for traditional salads, fried foods, noodles, and curries, like this one, make this my go-to cookbook for vegetarian Thai cuisine. Vatch, as he is known, has published several cookbooks, runs some excellent restaurants worldwide, and teaches Thai cooking at his school.

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1 slice of white bread, cubed

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 oz. dried black fungus mushrooms, presoaked for 3 hours

1 onion, diced

2 cups cooked white rice

1 cup pineapple, cubed

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Salt, to taste

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 cup cashew nuts, lightly roasted

Scallions, thinly sliced

Cilantro, minced

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the bread until browned and crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok and add the garlic until lightly golden, about 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed, cooking each ingredient for 1 minute. Toss the ingredients well after adding them to the wok.

Serve immediately on a platter or the cored out pineapple base garnished with cashew nuts, scallions and cilantro.