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    Home » Mains » Pasta, Rice and Casseroles » Hawaiian Luau Rice

    Hawaiian Luau Rice

    Published: Jul 28, 2013 · Modified: Feb 5, 2021 by HWC Magazine · 113 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Hawaiian Luau Rice / https://www.hwcmagazine.com

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

    Hawaiian Luau Rice

    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.

    Aberdeen

    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?

    Aberdeen

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

    Aberdeen

    Aberdeen

    I thought not so lets get on with the recipe...

    Hawaiian Luau Rice

    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

    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

    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

    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.

    Hawaiian Luau 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.

    Hungry For More? Subscribe to our Newsletter and follow along on Facebook, You Tube, Instagram, and Pinterest for all the latest updates.

    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.
    4.96 from 23 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Sides
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 255kcal
    Author: HWC Magazine

    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 tablespoon coconut oil
      (your rice will really soak up the coconut oil quickly so use a non-stick pan)
    • ½ cup onion chopped
    • 1 teaspoon ginger
      freshly grated ginger (or can substitute with ¼ teaspoon dried ground)
    • 2 cloves garlic
      minced
    • ½ cup ham
      sliced thinly ( I used deli ham but you can exchange with spam or fresh ham)
    • ½ 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.
    • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
      or to taste
    • 1 cup pineapple
      chopped fresh (can exchange with canned)
    • macadamia nuts -
      toasted crushed garnish - optional
    • 2 tablespoon green onions - 2 tablespoons chopped for garnish - optional
    US Customary - Metric
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    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 ¾ 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. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 337mg | Potassium: 205mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Tag us @HWCMagazine or hastag us #HWCMagazine!

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    About HWC Magazine

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.96 from 23 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Amelia says

      August 13, 2013 at 3:09 am

      Hi Bams, your Hawaiian Luah rice look delicious, very appetizing one pot meal. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
      Have a nice day.

      Reply
    2. bettyannq @Mango_Queen says

      August 11, 2013 at 11:45 pm

      I am reminded so much of my trip to the Philippines last May after I read your post. We always enjoyed the food in Hongkong when we travelled there and your Hawaiian luau rice is one of the things we love when in Asia. You just inspired me to make some. Bookmarked this! Thanks for sharing, Bam!

      Reply
    3. Raymund says

      August 11, 2013 at 8:00 am

      My daughter would love this, she loves anything with pineapples

      Reply
    4. wendy@chezchloe says

      August 10, 2013 at 11:58 pm

      Coconut and rice - this looks yummy.
      Hong Kong is an amazing experience. I flew in for a few days on my way to Bangkok (over 20 years ago) but would like to visit again with a greater appreciation and desire to explore the food. I was practically vegan at the time and not very adventurous.

      Reply
    5. Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says

      August 04, 2013 at 11:57 pm

      I'd love to pour myself a Mai Tai and eat some of this rice! Yum! We've had an excessive amount of rain too 🙁

      Reply
    6. Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen says

      August 04, 2013 at 2:32 pm

      I love this version of Hawaiian Rice! And I agree it's raining almost every afternoon in our part of the world...

      Reply
    7. Amy Tong says

      August 04, 2013 at 4:58 am

      I still remember those seems to be "non-stop" rainy days in HKG during those summer months! This Hawaiian Luau Rice certainly brings on the sunshine and a big smile to my face. 🙂 I'm not a big fan of those dried salty fish, but my hubby is. 😛 But I can surely say that we both would say "no thank you" to that wine! LOL...

      Reply
    8. Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says

      August 03, 2013 at 6:43 am

      Beautiful rice dish Bobbi! Love the idea of pineapple, coconut and ham in here. Not so sure about the snake wine though... Have a great weekend! 🙂

      Reply
    9. Kathleen Richardson says

      August 02, 2013 at 12:11 am

      Snake bile wine? Ha ha! Meanwhile, BAM this rice sounds more like a dessert with all its sweetness.

      Reply
    10. Karen says

      August 01, 2013 at 11:16 pm

      I wouldn't want to ride in a sampan during bad weather but I would love having your Hawaiian rice in good or bad weather. 🙂

      Reply
    11. Purely.. Kay says

      July 31, 2013 at 3:21 pm

      I enjoy rice but never like to eat it because it always gets old to me. I will definitely have to try these flavors in my rice. AMAZING

      Reply
    12. Tonette Joyce says

      July 31, 2013 at 3:31 am

      Yes! I love pineapple and rice.I have a recipe for pina colada rice pudding on my site. This, with griled pineapple , looks wonderful as a side .Just Wonderful!

      Reply
    13. ChgoJohn says

      July 30, 2013 at 10:28 pm

      Buona sera, BAM! 2 weeks of rain? Ugh! Sideways rain? Double ugh! I really do need to start making extra rice or ordering a 2nd portion when I call for Chinese take-away. I would enjoy both dishes -- your Hawaiian Luau & Pantry Fried rice -- and I have to get with the program.
      Now, BAM, I'll do just about anything for you but I draw the line just this side of wearing a coconut bra. 🙂

      Reply
    14. Liz says

      July 30, 2013 at 11:24 am

      Hahaha...such a cute post. Glad you're seeing a bit of sun! And your rice looks terrific!

      Reply
    15. Kumar's Kitchen says

      July 30, 2013 at 11:44 am

      delicious rice,will surely make the day sunny with its colors 🙂

      Reply
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