Pineapple Chicken (Good Fortune Comes A-Calling Chicken)

Pineapple Chicken

Hawaii was once a powerhouse in the pineapple industry. So much that it's hard to ignore the link. Whenever I see or think of pineapples, the word 'Hawaiian' pops into my head - Hawaiian Pizza, Hawaiian Chicken, Hawaiian Salad.

Would I consider this recipe to be a Hawaiian take? I think I prefer something closer to home, closer to my roots. Part of, at least.

Did you know that the pineapple is especially important to the Chinese during the Lunar New Year? Pineapple in Hokkien, Ong Lai, sounds closely like Prosperity Comes. This means that good luck or fortune is here or will befall soon. That is why pineapple tarts are high in demand during this time. Decorative pineapple lanterns are also hung up.

There is also the practice of rolling the pineapple into a new home. When you are moving into a new home, it is advised to roll a pineapple into the center to ensure that prosperity comes and flows to all corners of the house. Interesting? Yes, I thought so.

Considering how yummy I found this dish to be and the good things that have been coming my way these couple of months, I thought it'd be apt to call it Sharon's Good Luck Chicken. I'm being funny!

This recipe is a shortcut to a delicious meal. Yes, it's an easy dish.

Flavour-wise, it's savoury sweet. 

Pineapple Chicken (Good Fortune Comes A-Calling Chicken)

Ingredients:
- 325g chicken drummettes
- 1 can Ayam Brand pineapple cubes in syrup (454g)
- 1 large clove garlic (chopped)
- 1 red chilli (sliced)
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
- Salt to taste
- Corn flour to thicken gravy (about 1 tsp mixed in 1 tbsp water)
- Cooking oil
- Some water

How-to:
Heat oil in pan. Saute garlic until lightly fragrant, then add the chicken. Brown the chicken little. Add pineapple cubes including the syrup into the pan. Pour in some water for a bit more gravy (1/2 cup or to preference). Season with salt. Give it a good stir, allow the water to come to a low boil. Stir occasionally, until the chicken is done.

Once the chicken is cooked, stir in sliced chilli and chopped coriander. Finally, stir in the corn flour mixture to thicken the gravy a little.

Pineapple Chicken

Enjoy with rice!

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Squid and Pineapple Stir-Fry

It's a lovely day for a pineapple dish, so my taste buds informed me. You may ha-ha me on this one but sunny weather and clear skies played a role in further encouraging the tropical mood. It's the haze season. We haven't had really clear skies in awhile. The heavy downpour in the earlier hours helped.  

Anyway, I headed into the kitchen to find something to put together. It's one of those days I set google and recipe books aside. Instead, I took the 'this-could-work' and 'that-could-work' approach, after going through my food cabinet and the refrigerator.

Here is the result. Am I happy with it? Completely!

Garlicky Squid and Pineapple With Black Pepper and Chilli Flakes

Flavour-wise, sweet and savoury with a bit of peppery spiciness is how I would describe this dish. This is what I tossed together in my moment of inspiration.

Ingredients:
- 245g canned pineapple cubes (drain the syrup but leave aside 2 tbsp for use)
- 2 pcs squid tubes, each about 5.5inches long (slice open and cut into strips)
- 4 garlic cloves (chopped)
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes (seedless)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- A handful of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Pinch of salt, or to taste
- Cooking oil

Top: Squid, pineapple, flat-leaf parsley, black pepper, chilli flakes and garlic.
Bottom: Stir-frying squid and pineapple cubes.

How-to:
1) Heat oil in pan.
2) Saute garlic until lightly browned. Add the squid slices and stir-fry.
3) Once the squid is cooked, add the pineapples. Stir-fry for a bit.
4) Add a pinch of salt, pineapple syrup, chilli flakes and black pepper. Stir to combine.
5) Turn the fire/heat off.
6) Add flat-leaf parsley. Give it a good stir and serve.

Serving Squid and Pineapple

Eat as a side dish or with flavoured rice.

Best eaten as a side dish or with lightly flavoured rice.

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Pineapple Curry and Baked Butter Rice

Whilst grocery shopping, I stumbled across a basket of pineapples being sold at RM1 for a whole fruit. What a bargain! I held one up. Memories of mum's pineapple dish came flooding in.

Pineapple Pajeri is a childhood favourite. It is also spelt 'patcheri' or 'pacheri'. The origins of the recipe is unknown to me but it is mum's signature dish for 'open house' during Chinese New Year because it is highly sought after by friends and family.

Well, the RM1 pineapple followed me home (it did!), but I had to wait a couple of days for it to ripen before I could cook it. I knew what I wanted to make - a curry!

When it was time, I started racking my brains over what to pair the curry with. I stumbled across a recipe for butter rice whilst blog-walking. I knew it'd be a good match and it was. We cleared the dishes in one sitting.

I don't have mum's recipe for pineapple pajeri  so I made my version of pineapple yumminess, a rough idea I gleaned from years of observation which resulted in this dry pineapple curry dish.

Pineapple Curry and Butter Rice

Ingredients:
- 1 small pineapple (2 cups, in chunks or cubed)
- 1 small-medium onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 tbsp dried shrimps (rinsed and soaked for 5 minutes)
- 1½ tbsp curry powder
(add a bit of water or mix into blended chili to make a thick paste)
- 1½ tbsp blended fresh chili
- 1 tbsp kerisik (toasted coconut paste)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh milk
- 3 star anise
- Pinch of salt
- Dash of light soy sauce
- Cooking oil

How-to:
1) Heat oil in pan. Saute onion and garlic.
2) On medium heat, add curry powder/chili paste and star anise. Stir-fry until oil separates or until paste becomes a rich shiny brown.
3) Add kerisik and dried shrimps. Stir to combine.
4) Add pineapple and seasoning (sugar, salt and soy sauce).
Add a bit of water, if too dry. Stir lightly to combine the flavours.
5) Switch the fire off. Stir the milk in and serve.

Best eaten with rice, even better with butter rice!

Pineapple Curry

I found this butter rice recipe on Kitchen Flavours. It's fairly easy to do. Click here for the how-to.

Baked Butter Rice fresh out of the oven!

I made mine using leftover chicken soup and regular rice. It turned out really nice. Not soggy at all.

I baked it in a bread tin (8 x 4 x 2.5 inch), covered in butter-greased foil.This is just a rough idea of how I did it.

A quick stir-fry of chopped onions and bay leaves in a dollop of butter. Then, I added chopped garlic, a pinch of chili flakes and 1¾ cups pre-soaked rice, stirring well before pouring in 1 cup soup (leftover, only the liquid) and just under 3 cups water.

Once it boils, transfer all the ingredients into a foil-lined bread tin. Cover with foil. Baking at 175C for 40-45mins worked well for me. No burnt bottom or sides. Remember to adjust liquid measurements according to rice variety. This portion works in my favour.

I fluffed the rice using chopsticks.

Leftover Soup Baked Butter Rice

 
Nothing burnt.

All clear underneath!

Serve together with pineapple curry. Garnish with fresh coriander, if you like.

Pineapple Curry with Butter Rice

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