This Hawaiian Macadamia Fried Rice is an easy side dish to whip up and the flavors are pleasing for the whole family! Adding in the macadamia nuts makes it feel special, and seems like you put a whole lot of time into it. Surprise! It’s just as easy as “plain old fried rice” even though it is way more impressive!
Planned Use for Leftovers
Fried rice is one of my favorite ways to utilize leftovers. It is best to make fried rice with leftover rice because it is drier and that fries up better. Using fresh rice that is even a little warm will result in soggy rice. If you want to make this recipe and you don’t already have rice made up, you can spread it out into a shallow layer is in a large baking pan, and put it in your refrigerator for fast cooling. But the best thing to do is make a big batch of rice one night, serve it as a side dish for dinner, and use the leftover rice for this recipe the next night.
The second way to utilize leftovers with this Hawaiian Fried Rice is with meat. You can transform this side dish into a full meal simply by adding a cup or two of leftover meat. Chopped chicken works great! But my favorite for this recipe is to add pulled pork. The flavors go so well together!
Substitution Ideas
When I was a young cook in my teens I would get so frustrated when I was trying to cook a recipe and I didn’t have all of the ingredients. Over time I have discovered that most things can be substituted. Certainly, baking has “must have” ingredients, and substituting in regular cooking does change things a bit, but it is worth experimenting!
Here are some ideas if you don’t have these exact ingredients:
Sesame oil: Olive, canola or avocado oil
Fresh Ginger: 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Garlic cloves: 1/2 teaspoon ground garlic
Coriander: 1 teaspoon cumin or garam masala
Soy Sauce: 3 tablespoons tamari or coconut aminos
Green onions: 1/4 cup chives or shallots (If using shallots, cook in the beginning with the ginger and garlic)
Macadamia nuts: 1/2 cup cashews or almonds
This recipe was the side dish for the Hawaii night of our segment on Exploring the States: Famous food from across the US!
Hawaiian Macadamia Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked rice Cooked and cooled
- 4 tsp sesame oil, divided
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
- 1 tsp coriander
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 cup green onions
- 1/2 cup roasted macadamia nuts
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions and cool completely. This can be done a day ahead.
- In a large skillet or walk, heat 2 tsp. sesame oil over medium-low heat. Pour beaten eggs into pan and leave flat for about 1-2 minutes. Slide onto a plate and cut into strips.
- Heat remaining oil in the same pan and cook ginger and garlic for about 1 minute. Increase temperature to medium-high and add the rice, soy sauce, and coriander. Fry them together for about 5 minutes. Taste and add additional soy sauce, if you desire.
- Add green onions and macadamia nuts and cook an additional minute. Serve hot.
