The Hare Experiments, part 1

I come to you today, with an idea.

It is a good idea, I believe. A tasty idea. An acquired taste, I will grant you. But still, I believe this to be a good idea.

Fruit and Nut Fried Rice.

I like rice. To carry this to a further extension I like Asian food in general. I’m not an accomplished chef, just an enthusiastic amateur, a cook who enjoys making foods and occasionally has an idea that he chooses to play with.

Some time ago, I was looking through the cabinets. I had rice. I had soy sauce. There were a couple of eggs. I had a seasoning packet I had found in the grocery for fried rice. My original idea was to get some chicken and have chicken fried rice. But the chicken was frozen, and I was hungry, and it was late in the day and I hadn’t eaten.

Then I saw pineapple. And dried cranberries. And sliced almonds.

And I had an idea.

I’ve been toying with the recipe for a while now. I’ve tried different mixes of fruits, different nuts. The results have been mixed. Some things work well, others don’t.

Here, then, is my first iteration of my recipe. I’ll probably play with this more and more, trying to get my favorite combination of fruits and nuts integrated together into a pleasing whole. But for now, here is how it stands.

Fruit and Nut Fried Rice

3 tablespoons oil or butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cold cooked rice
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup almond slivers
2/3 cup dried cranberries (a 3 ounce package, roughly)
¾ cup pineapple tidbits
2 large eggs
¼ cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon grated orange rind
salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and let it heat for about 30 seconds. Add the garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the rice and continue stir frying for 1 minute.

Add ginger, cumin, orange rind, and soy sauce. Continue stir frying and add almonds, pecans, cranberries, and pineapple. Add the pineapple juice and stir fry until the juice is absorbed.

Push the rice mixture to the side. Add the last tablespoon of oil, followed by the eggs. Scramble the eggs for one minute, or until almost set, then stir the eggs into the rice mixture to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Notes from the Hare

This is still pretty rough. The spices are ok, but I’m not entirely sure I’m happy with them. The pineapple juice is also a question in my mind.

I’ve made this with almonds, pecans, cashews, and peanuts. Peanuts I usually sprinkle on the finished product. I’ve toasted the nuts in the skillet before adding the rice and I’ve added them cold as in the recipe above. Dried cranberries seem to work very well, as do pineapple – but then, I like these fruits specifically, so I can be called biased.
There will be additional iterations of this, as I make it again and again and refine things a little more. If anyone has a suggestion for this recipe, by all means let me know.