Thai Jasmine Pineapple Fried Rice and Difference Between Jasmine and Basmati Rice

Today I want to share a favorite recipe: Thai Jasmine Pineapple Fried Rice. But first, I want to share the difference between jasmine and basmati rice.

I would consider our family to be rice experts. We love rice and we have rice about 3-4 times per week. We use it thousands of different ways to create hearty, healthy, unique meals. 

Rice is a frugal staple. We have so many things we could share about rice, but today we just want to focus on two types of rices that are affordable, yet a step up in quality and taste when it comes to a frugal staple – Mahatma Jasmine rice and Mahatma Basmati rice. These are our two favorites when it comes to “white” rices.

We use the Jasmine rice for homemade Thai food, which happens to be our #1 favorite ethnic food. We love, love, love Thai food. I describe Thai as a fresh Asian flavor with a bit of a tropical spin. Basically combining fresh with tropical with Asian – the perfect description for Thai. My favorite flavors are the coconut, lime and pineapple hints you find in nearly every Thai dish.

We use Basmati rice for homemade Indian dishes, which just so happens to be our second favorite ethnic food! Turmeric, curry and those rich, delicious spices are an amazing combination of flavors. 

When I am making foods from these two types of ethnicities, I can make a lot for a little price. I only need a small portion of the meat we choose – generally 1/2 – 1 lb which will produce quite a large dish when you add in all of the fresh veggies and make a creamy, rich sauce. 

The rice is an important part to complete the dish and to spread the grocery budget further. I can add ingredients to the sauce on a dime to double or triple the servings as most of the dish ends up being the sauce and rice, so picking the right frugal rice highlight is important since it is the star of the show. 

When it comes to these two varieties, we like Mahatma brand rices because they have both Jasmine and Basmati for a very competitive price, but are also non-GMO verified and they even have organic versions! 

But did you know the difference between the two? There are very noticeable differences between the two different varieties and knowing which one to use will be crucial to a successful home-cooked meal to complete the taste and the intent of the meal. 

Now here’s the cool part. I have told you about how we use each of these rices to complete our homemade Thai meal or homemade Indian meal, but now that you know the differences between the two, you can decide which one to get for your particular meal pairing. 

In the end, it doesn’t matter if it is Thai, Indian or something entirely different, you can use these rices for a variety of meals and flavors, not matter the country of origin. What you need to know is the aroma and flavor that each of these rices produces, so that you can pair with anything you are making. 

Even better is that you can print a coupon for $1.50 of Mahatma jasmine or basmati rice so that you can have the perfect pairing with your meal! You can redeem the coupon at Walmart stores, where we have found this to be the lowest prices on this rice everyday. In addition, keep an eye out for your Valpak envelopes to get an additional $1.50 off Mahatma Rice coupon that’s available in select cities.

Now, since I have talked about how much we love Thai food and how we make our own, I want to share my own version of Thai Jasmine Pineapple Fried Rice. 

Thai Jasmine Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe

Ingredients needed for Thai Jasmine Pineapple Fried Rice:

• 4 cups Jasmine rice 
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 can Pineapple Chunks
• 1/2 TBSP lime juice
• Reserved Pineapple juice from pineapple chunks
• Bag of frozen peas and carrots 
• 1 small onion
• 2 TBSP finely chopped Cilantro
• Soy Sauce
• Coconut Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Ham chunks (optional)
• Cashews (optional)
• shredded coconut to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions for Thai Jasmine Pineapple Rice

• Start by cooking the Jasmine rice. Either follow the package directions or cook in an Instant Pot
• If cooking it in an Instant Pot, add 4 cups of Jasmine rice with 4 cups of water and select the rice setting, walk away. That’s it! It will cook perfectly without you doing a thing! 

• Next, saute’ the onion in coconut oil on medium heat.
• Once the onion is soft and cooked, add more coconut oil to the pan.
• Add the rice to the onion and coconut oil and “fry” the rice by stirring and sauteeing. Add more coconut oil if you need more. 
• Add the frozen veggies and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring constantly/
• Mix the reserved pineapple juice – which will likely be 1/2 – 3/4 cup, with coconut milk and lime juice. 

• Pour the juice mixture over the rice mixture and mix in and cook. As you are cooking it, the juices will be soaked up by the rice mixture. 
• While cooking with the juice mixture, add soy sauce to you preference. We prefer to use Bragg’s liquid aminos as a healthier alternative. This is also a time to add dashes of salt and pepper to preference. 
• Add the ham and/or cashews and saute a little more.
• Add the pineapple and cilantro and mix in and cook until they are warm. 

• Serve warm and sprinkle with shredded coconut if desired.