Easy Hawaiian Fried Rice Recipe

This recipe for Hawaiian Fried Rice uses Hawaii’s favorite potted meat – SPAM.  It has peas, carrots, cashews, and onions and is loaded with flavor.

My version of Hawaiian Fried Rice is inspired by a dish that I had in Chattanooga at one of my favorite restaurants, Thai Smiles.  The dish there is called Hawaii Fried Rice.  (Yes, that is how it is spelled on the online menu.)

The original dish uses chicken for the main protein source.  Being that Hawaii is in the name, I thought it would be fun to use SPAM instead.  Some will say that this is not true Hawaiian rice and that is probably true.  Nonetheless, this is a pretty tasty fried rice dish and I hope you enjoy it.

How To Make Hawaiian Fried Rice

For this easy SPAM fried rice recipe, you need the following ingredients:

• 1 large Boil-In-Bag of rice or 1 cup of dry Jasmine rice
• Water
• 1/3 cup pineapple juice
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 3 eggs
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
• 1 3- ounce package SPAM Single, cubed
• ½ cup frozen peas and carrots
• ½ cup chopped cashews

To make it, prepare the rice according to the manufacturer’s directions.

While the rice is cooking, whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, and curry powder in a medium-size bowl and set it aside.  In another bowl, whisk together 3 eggs and 2 tablespoons of milk and set aside.

Next, heat 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seed oil over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet or wok.

Once the onions start to become translucent, spoon them to the side and cook the eggs. Once the eggs are cooked, it’s time to add the other ingredients.

Start by adding SPAM and frozen vegetables.

Stir the ingredients together and cook until the vegetables are no longer frozen.  Add the cooked rice and curry sauce and stir until the sauce has coated all of the rice.

Stir in the chopped cashews.

Did you know that rice is the second most widely consumed staple in the world?  Not surprising when you consider that there are over 40,000 varieties growing on every continent, with the exception of Antarctica.

Asians have enjoyed fried rice for centuries.  It may have been invented during the Sui dynasty in China.  Most countries in Southeast Asia have their own varieties.

Rice makes a great side dish, but when you combine it with eggs and meat and throw in a few vegetables it becomes a meal in itself.

Why SPAM?

SPAM has been around since 1937 when Hormel introduced this new lunch meat.  Between 1941-1945, SPAM was shipped to our troops.  It didn’t require refrigeration and it had a long shelf life.   According to SPAM’s website:

The true root of the island’s love for SPAM® products goes back to World War II, when the luncheon meat was served to GIs. By the end of the war, SPAM® products were adopted into local culture, with Fried SPAM® Classic and rice becoming a popular meal. The unique flavor quickly found its way into other Hawaiian cuisine, from SPAM® Fried Wontons to SPAM® Musubi , and SPAM® products became a fixture in breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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