Recipe American fried rice

American fried rice is a Thai fried rice dish with "American" side ingredients like fried chicken, ham, hot dogs, raisins, ketchup, and croutons.

Other ingredients like pineapple are optional. Because it was invented during the Vietnam War era to serve to United States Marine Corps and United States Air Force personnel stationed in Thailand, it is generally not found in Thai restaurants outside Thailand.

With the recent proliferation of Thai restaurants, American fried rice is now appearing on Thai restaurant menus in the United States. The name comes from the fact that most of the ingredients are American or at least Western in origin.

The Malaysian equivalent of American fried rice, called Nasi Goreng USA, is made with many of the same ingredients.

• 3 tablespoons bacon fat (from frying bacon below)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 2/3 cup fresh or canned pineapple, cut into small pieces
• 5 cups rice, cooked and cooled
• 2 tablespoons tomato catsup
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste
• ¼ taspoon white pepper, ground
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 6-8 pieces of bacon, cut width-wise into strips
• cucumber, spring onions, coriander sprigs, lime and bird-eye chilis for garnish
• 4 eggs, fried (optional garnish)

Fry the bacon pieces in a large frying pan or wok over medium heat (the same pan to be used to fry the fried rice). Remove the crisp bacon pieces to a plate and leave about two tablespoons worth of bacon grease in the pan. Keep the rest of the grease in a small container close by, for when more is needed. Turn the heat up to medium high. Add garlic. Fry a few seconds until fragrant.Add onions. Fry 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Add tomato and pineapple. Fry quickly until heated through.

Turn heat to high. Add another tablespoon of bacon grease. Add the rice. Break up rice and stir-fry well, until the rice is in loose pieces and coated evenly with bacon grease. Season the rice with tomato catsup, light soy sauce, sugar and white pepper.Push the rice mixture to one side of the pan.Add the beaten eggs to the other side. Fry and scramble until almost cooked through. Stir into the rice mixture. Add crisp bacon pieces. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve with garnish items on side and the fried egg on top, if using.