Pineapple Rice

I have this dish in a Brisbane restaurant called Phat Elephant and love it. If you are in this neck of the woods, you should go there. Great food and always consistent. I've seen pineapple rice served in a normal dish but it just doesn't have the same impact as the pineapple boat. It's a must. It really is sunshine on a plate.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 pineapple with crown, cut down the middle

2 chicken thighs, cut into small pieces

1 onion diced

75g of roasted cashews

1/2 yellow pepper, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 egg, whisked

1 tub of jasmine instant rice pot

1 red chilli, minced

The pineapple scooped out from one of the pineapple halves and chopped

1 tbsp. of oyster sauce

1 tbsp. of soy sauce

1 tbsp. of siracha sauce

1 tbsp. of maple syrup

1 tsp. of Chinese cooking wine

2 tbsp. of cooking oil

Method

1. Scoop out the pineapple flesh from both halves. I would like to say that I had a clever way of doing this but I just got a small knife and carved around the side and then drew lines down the middle and scooped it out the flesh with a spoon. It wasn't pretty but it did the job.

2. Heat a wok or large frying pan and add the oil and heat.

3. Add the peppers, and onions and sauté until soft.

4. Remove from the pan and set aside.

5. Add in the chicken and fry until brown.

6. Add in the chilli and garlic and fry for a minute or so.

7. Re-add the vegetables.

8. Microwave the rice according to the packet instructions. Add into the frying pan and stir through.

9. Heat a smaller non-stick pan and add the egg. Swirl the pan around, to make sure the egg evenly coats the pan. Let it cook for 2 minutes without touching it, otherwise it turns to scrambled eggs. Then chop it up with your spatula. It won't be fully cooked but it will cook through when you add it back into the wok. Do that next and stir through.

10. Add in your pineapple and roasted cashew nuts and allow to heat through.

11. Mix your sauce ingredients and cooking wine in a small bowl. Stir it into the wok.

12. Add half the pineapple rice to each pineapple boat and you're ready to serve. You could sprinkle with some extra chilli or some greenery like coriander.