Welcome to another Cooking with Cass!

We've seen a lot of new customers come to the site recently so I thought I'd reintroduce myself. My name is Cassem Aossey, I'm the 3rd generation of the family to work here at Midamar. I have a passion for cooking and cinema, so I thought I'd combine my passions start teaching people how to use all of our premium Halal meats for all kinds of foods. From tropical dishes, like this pineapple fried rice, to traditional American favorites like Shepard's Pie, Salisbury Steak, and so much more!

So, with introductions out of the way, let's get to this easy pineapple fried rice recipe.

For starters, I use chicken thighs in the recipe, however, if you wanted to make it a little more healthy, you could switch the thighs with chicken breast. You will lose a little bit of the chicken flavor but, it'll still be great. Now, one thing that has always bothered me about meals like this is the name. Pineapple fried rice, orange chicken, Citrus chicken, etc. The issue I have is the flavor. In my experience, the citrus is usually over powered by the stronger flavors used in the full recipe. This can't just be me right? Maybe it is, either way, I have found something that helps alleviate that issue slightly. While preparing your rice, replace half of the water with the juice of the fruit that is the focus of the dish. In this case, that would be pineapple. It also helps if you serve it in the fruit itself but uh... I don't know if I'd try that with a lemon or orange.

The only other tip I can think to mention is the vegetable. I used Sno Pac Mixed vegetables, which you can find here, specifically because this brand is one of the best frozen vegetables I've ever found. Am I biased because we sell it? Yes, probably but! We only sell things that we feed to our family, and these are a favorite of my whole family.

And that's it for this week! If you want to see me make click here or keep scrolling for the full recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice of choice, I used Jasmine

2 packages Sno Pac Mixed Vegetables

2 cans of Pineapples, juiced reserved 

1 Tbsp Avocado Oil, or oil of choice

1 small Yellow Onion, chopped

2 large cloves of Garlic, finely chopped

1 tray of Chicken Thighs, available here; sliced into thin strips

4 tbsp Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

Marinade:

1 - 2 tsp Soy Sauce

1 - 2 tso hoisin sauce

2 tsp corn starch

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Prepare rice according to package instructions but replace half of the water with pineapple juice. Meanwhile, prepare marinade ingredients. Marinate for 30 minutes to overnight

2) In a large pan or Dutch oven combine oil, onion, and garlic. Cook until fragrant and sweating. Add chicken thighs and cook until no pink remains. Add your rice and cook for an additional minute. Add remaining soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Sno Pac Mixed Vegetables, salt, and pepper. Mix well and cook for 2-5 minutes or until vegetables are heated through. Add pineapple and mix. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until moisture from the fruit and vegetables has evaporated slightly. Serve immediately and enjoy!