Hawaiian Luau Rice

Name: Hawaiian Luau Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 cups basmati rice (or 2 cups cooked leftover rice of choice); 1.5 cups water (skip this ingredient if you already have cooked rice.); 2 tbsp coconut oil ((your rice will really soak up the coconut oil quickly so use a non-stick pan)); 1/2 cup onion (chopped); 1 tsp ginger (freshly grated ginger (or can substitute with 1/4 teaspoon dried ground)); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1/2 cup ham (sliced thinly ( I used deli ham but you can exchange with spam or fresh ham)); 1/2 cup desiccated coconut (shredded (Can use fresh coconut shredded)); 1 teaspoon chicken powder; 1/4 tsp white pepper (or to taste); 1 cup pineapple (chopped fresh (can exchange with canned)); macadamia nuts - (toasted crushed garnish - optional); 2 tbsp green onions - 2 tablespoons (chopped for garnish - optional)

Last Updated: March 7, 2020 · Published: July 28, 2013 · 86 Comments

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Hawaiian Luau Rice is a little sweet, a little savory and little bit tropical and the perfect cure for the dog days of summer.

We have had about 2 weeks of non-stop rain in Hong Kong. Sideways rain is the worst, especially when waiting for the bus. Men in business suits with their trousers sticking to their legs and women who thought is was a good idea to wear a white blouse are now thinking twice about their fashion choices on rainy days. However today, I see for the first time a little blue sky and break in the clouds.

Here is a view from inside a sampan riding near the Aberdeen fishing village. As you can see the sky is still pretty cloudy but occasionally there is a little bit of blue shining through.

Have you even had a ride in a sampan boat? Well lets put it this way, you are in a mighty little boat compared to all of those big cargo ships and if you are prone to seasickness then this is not your mode of transport. Are you in need of any dried fish parts for your recipes?

How about some wine to settle your stomach for the sampan ride?

I thought not so lets get on with the recipe…

Sometimes, I need to close my eyes and think of a happy place in order to make these dull and rainy days go away. That happy place is always some place warm and tropical with white sand beaches, clear water, and plenty of sunshine. Having your own virtual vacation to Hawaii, is the perfect cure for those long dog rainy days. So crack out those coconut bras and grass skirts and lets get cooking.

Hawaiian Luau rice is a fun and easy tropical side dish that goes perfect with fish, chicken or just by itself. You can go on your own mini little vacation right here in your own kitchen. If it helps set the mood, put on a little Jimmy Buffett music and pour yourself a Mai Tai and have a little luau.

Hawaiian Luau Rice is a little sweet, a little savory and little bit tropical and the perfect cure for the dog days of summer. This is a great little dish to bring for a dish to pass at a gathering or for your own gathering at home as it really is a nice accompaniment to so many dishes such. If you are looking for a main dish to go with your Hawaiian Luau rice, please check out Sensational Summer Citrus Salmon or maybe even our Tropical Spa Mango Chicken or even our Peking Glazed Beer Butt Chicken .

You are also going to love this Lemon Rice recipe from Masala Herb with a fantastic step by step video.

Hawaiian Luau rice is always best cooked with day old long basmati rice. Please take a click here to gather the basic concepts of making Pantry Fried Rice.

We just made another bowl this mid morning as was having a craving and this time made with “red rice” instead of basmati. It was mighty fine. Wishing everyone a fantastic weekend.

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Hawaiian Luau Rice

Hawaiian Luau Rice is a little sweet, a little savory and little bit tropical and the perfect cure for the dog days of summer.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Sides

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 30 Minute Meals, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Pasta, Rice and Casseroles, Popular Recipes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 256kcal

Author: Healthy World Cuisine

Ingredients

1 cups basmati rice
or 2 cups cooked leftover rice of choice
1.5 cups water
skip this ingredient if you already have cooked rice.
2 tbsp coconut oil
(your rice will really soak up the coconut oil quickly so use a non-stick pan)
1/2 cup onion chopped
1 tsp ginger
freshly grated ginger (or can substitute with 1/4 teaspoon dried ground)
2 cloves garlic
minced
1/2 cup ham
sliced thinly ( I used deli ham but you can exchange with spam or fresh ham)
1/2 cup desiccated coconut shredded (Can use fresh coconut shredded)
1 teaspoon chicken powder
(gluten free) 1-2 teaspoons to taste (this is chicken bouillon in the powdered form) - you can also use chicken bouillon cubes and just crush into a powder and you can add to taste.
1/4 tsp white pepper
or to taste
1 cup pineapple
chopped fresh (can exchange with canned)
macadamia nuts -
toasted crushed garnish - optional
2 tbsp green onions - 2 tablespoons chopped for garnish - optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

The day or two before, wash your rice thoroughly. Add 1 cup of basmati rice and 1.5 cups of water to your pan and cover and simmer for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with fork. One cup of basmati rice when cooked will yield about 2 and 3/4 cup rice. Allow rice to completely cool and place in the refrigerator over night. (You can use other leftover rice as well like Jasmine or short grain rice.)
Toast your coconut in a non-stick skillet until in is toasty brown. Set aside.
Toast the macadamia nuts in a dry pan until toasty. Chop coarsely. Set aside. (optional)
Place your coconut oil, onions, garlic, ginger in the pan until aromatic. Add the ham and cook quickly until lightly golden.
Add your cooked basmati rice, chicken powder and white pepper and mix quickly in your pan until all of the rice is covered evenly with the coconut oil and seasoning. Add the pineapple, green onions and toasted coconut back into the pan and continue stirring quickly, just until warmed. Reserve a little toasted coconut and green onions on the side for garnishing.
Serve on plate and garnish with toasted crushed macademia nuts, toasted coconut and green onions. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Feel free to use any kind of left over rice you desire for this recipe. Cold leftover rice works best for making fried rice so that the rice does not stick together.

We used chicken powder whilst living in Hong Kong as that is what is generally available. However, you can use a chicken bouillon that has been crushed so that it easily mixes with the rice. If you are following a gluten free diet , make sure your chicken bouillon is gluten-free.

We used unsweetened desiccated coconut for this recipe. Toasting the coconut in a dry pan really adds loads of flavor to this recipe.

In addition, we also toasted macadamia nuts and then crushed them and garnished our recipe with it. However, this is an optional item.

Feel free to use either fresh or canned pineapple for this Hawaiian Luau Recipe.

We used leftover spiral ham. However, feel free to use ham lunchmeat or even spam in a pinch. After all, they would be using spam in Hawaii.

If you like to use a fresh pineapple, be sure to check out our post How to Cut a Fresh Pineapple to learn how to do this in under 5 minutes with minimal waste. However, you can use canned pineapple chunks as well.