Hawaiian Fried Rice
This simple, quick, easy and delicious Hawaiian fried rice is perfect for those ham leftovers if you have some hanging around from Easter.
Let me assure you, this Hawaiian fried rice is no joke.
I was thinking about doing a practical joke post today (hello, April Fool’s!) and posting chocolate covered broccoli or something, but chances are, 49.9% of you would think I was serious and although I love chocolate, my reputation is on the line here (and surprisingly, even I have my limits when it comes to chocolate).
This simple, quick, easy and delicious fried rice (four very, very important qualities, I’d say) is perfect for those ham leftovers if you have some hanging around from Easter. Yesterday.
Even if you don’t have leftover ham to use, good quality deli ham works wonders, too.
Here’s what you get if/when you make this: a bit of nutty sesame oil, kicking hot sauce (adjust to your own wimpy or powerhouse tastebuds), savory soy sauce, bites of fresh vegetables and the delightful contrast of sweet, juicy pineapple and tender ham.
I made this in a 100% effort to use up ham (read: low expectations in an effort to get dinner on the table quickly) and I ended up rushing to my computer to post about it. So you see?
Definitely worth putting on the dinner docket. And if that’s not enough, it’s really pretty to look at.
So go ahead, treat yourself to an easy dinner night and whip this up. You’ll be happy you did.
What to Serve With This
- A simple green salad (or a really awesome green salad like this Spinach Strawberry Salad)
- Storebought flatbread or pita chips (or for homemade flatbread this Naan)
- Cut up pineapple or mandarin oranges
One Year Ago: Paprika Chicken Stroganoff
Two Years Ago: Naan – Indian Flatbread
Three Years Ago: Citrus Water Punch
Hawaiian Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, like Tapatio or Sriracha, more or less to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable, canola or peanut oil
- 2 cups cooked, chopped ham
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
- 6 green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 5 cups cooked rice, white or brown, cold
- 3 large eggs
- 1-2 cups pineapple pieces
Instructions
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil and hot sauce. Set aside. In a large nonstick skillet or electric frying pan (which is what I use), heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil until rippling and hot. Add the ham, red bell pepper, and the chopped white parts of the green onions. Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and the red pepper is tender (but not mushy), about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook another minute. Scrape the mixture onto a plate and set aside.
- Heat another teaspoon of oil in the skillet until hot. Add the cold rice and cook, breaking up large clumps, until the rice is heated through, 5-6 minutes.
- Push the rice to one side of the skillet and heat the last teaspoon of oil on the empty side of the skillet. Crack the eggs into the hot oil and stir lightly with a spatula or wooden spoon, cooking until the eggs are lightly scrambled and set. Stir the eggs and the ham mixture into the rice. Pour the soy sauce mixture into the rice and cook, stirring, until thoroughly combined and hot.
- Off the heat, stir in the pineapple and green parts of the onions. Serve immediately.
Notes
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Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Country (reduced the oil, sesame oil, hot sauce, eliminated a few ingredients and increased the amounts to serve 6 instead of 4)
My favorite menu item at a local Thai restaurant is similar to this only theirs has chicken. I made this with the ham and added some fresh tomatoes, some sweet curry and chopped roasted cashews on top and it was spot on just like the pineapple rice at that restaurant. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
This is a great recipe! I combine this recipe with your “Go-To” recipe…I like this recipe but the method of the other one. Was great to use with some frozen ham I had. Thank you!!
Made this tonight. SO good! Whole family loved it!
FYI people from Hawaii don’t put ham and pineapple in fried rice. Usually it will be spam or Portuguese sausage or any leftover meat. Day old rice. Cold rice is the best. Bacon is the key. Serve with kimchee or any other pickled type of vegetable.
Love this recipe! I make it all the time and is perfect to use up left-over rice. I swapped out the ham and used bacon instead!
I know I am a few years behind this post, but I just discovered it recently when I was trying to find a way to use leftover ham. Truthfully it sounded weird to me but I went ahead and tried it. I am so glad I did! I am making it for the 3rd time tomorrow and my whole family enjoys it (a feat to be sure!). It is like nothing I have had before but so good. I am going to make your naan recipe with it. Thanks for another dinner idea!
Oops! I thought it was 1 Tbls of Sriracha instead of 1 tsp. The Hubby and I can handle the heat and liked it, but the kids ended up having toast and fruit for dinner. I need to read more closely when it comes to hot sauce, I guess!! It had great flavor but I look forward to tasting more of the flavor next time. 🙂
I made this tonight, only had canned chunk pineapple and I used pre-cooked ham from the store. This came out great! I never knew how easy fried rice was until tonight, thanks!
I have made this again and again, but tonight I subbed hickory smoked spam. It was so amazing, and definitely gave me Hawaii vibes.
I’ve never commented on a recipe before but had to on this one. The flavors are fantastic! I made this for my diabetic uncle hoping that the other flavors would make up for the shredded cauliflower I used for the rice. First, it made my kitchen smell wonderful, enough to perk everyone up and get them in the kitchen asking about it. Then the flavors of the sauce, ginger, garlic and onions – it was so savory and yummy that every one of my very picky, vegetable-hating family went back for seconds and thirds. Thank you SO MUCH for a tasty and healthy way to get more veggies into my family! When I make it again, I will add more sauce and a little more heat to make up for the blandness of the cauliflower, but I wouldn’t change anything else. I think I’ll be making lots of ham in the future since we will be eating this meal often! Thank you, thank you!
I love the idea of making this with cauliflower rice! Such a great idea.