Fried rice is one of my favorites although I’ve only made it myself a handful of times. It is likely due to Qing bringing in fresh homemade fried rice for us at work sometimes, and I am convinced I cannot make it any better. One of these days I need to watch her make it. She uses Asian BBQ pork which you can only buy at the Asian grocery store – another place I need to check out evidently.

Meanwhile while planning to invade her kitchen, I took a stab at fried rice again with this pineapple and pork chop version. Granted there is no competition when it comes to Qing’s fried rice, but it was still quite good. Next time I would use less onion, but that may just be my preference. But I really thought the grilled pineapple was a must for the flavor of this dish. Start up your grill!

Be sure to check out the original post by The Pioneer Woman for great step-by-step photos.

One year ago: White Chocolate Coconut Chili Macadamia Nut Cookies

PORK CHOPS WITH PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1/2 whole pineapple, cut into spears and skewered

2 cups cooked white or brown rice

6 whole pork chops

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 large onion, sliced

8 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce (more to taste), divided

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp Sriracha, or other hot sauce

Salt to taste

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 eggs

1 cup chopped carrots

1-1/2 cup frozen peas

Directions:

1. Grill (or saute) pineapple spears until they have good marks/color on the outside. Slice, then set aside.
2. Heat butter and oil over medium high heat, then add the pork chops to the pan. Saute on both sides until they have nice color.
3. Throw in the sliced onions and work them into the crevices between the chops. Shake the pan and move the onions around and let them cook for a good couple of minutes.
4. When the onions are starting to soften, add 6 tablespoons pf the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, and hot sauce. Shake the pan, stir it around, and let it cook and bubble up for a good couple of minutes until the pork chops are completely cooked and the sauce is thicker. Remove the pork chops to a bowl, then let the sauce bubble up and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds. Pour it over the pork chops. Set aside.
5. Add a small amount of oil to the same pan (without cleaning it) and return it to the stove top over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir it around, then crack in the eggs and immediately stir them to scramble them a bit. Add carrots, peas, and remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Add cooked rice and stir it around to cook for a couple of minutes.
6. To serve, pile rice on a plate, then top with pineapple chunks, pork chops and onions from the sauce. Drizzle a little bit of sauce over the top.

Source: Adapted slightly from The Pioneer Woman.