You might have heard of Thai-style pineapple fried rice, but did you know that we also have a version of pineapple rice in China? It originated in Yunnan province, in the southern part of China. It is adjacent to Myanmar and Vietnam and is very close to Thailand. As I mentioned in this other post, Yunnan food is vastly diverse due to its geographical location and cultural landscape, which make Yunnan cuisine a kaleidoscope of southern Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai flavors. This pineapple rice is a great example of that.

The pineapple rice I’m introducing today has a texture similar to that of Thai coconut rice. It uses glutinous rice, cooked with pineapple juice and cubed pineapple, to create a sweet, gooey rice with a wonderful fruity aroma. Although pineapple rice is usually served as a side, it’s as satisfying and soothing as a dessert. The rice (usually a mix of purple and white) is soaked overnight, then steamed for around an hour. A ripe pineapple is hollowed out by slicing the top off and removing the flesh or by cutting it lengthwise in two halves, and the flesh is cut into small cubes.

The steamed glutinous rice is then mixed with the removed pineapple flesh, raisins, rock sugar, dash of salt, coconut milk, and sliced almonds, filled back in the hollow pineapple steamed for another 20 minutes. Boluo fan is a sweet staple, perfect as a side dish for hot and spicy Yunnan food, and also goes well with Sichuan dishes.

In the authentic version of this pineapple rice, the pineapple itself is used as the cooking vessel for the rice. The top of the pineapple is removed and used as a lid. This requires scooping the pineapple flesh from the inside to make the pineapple into a jar and stuffing the glutinous rice with the pineapple juice and cubes inside. The whole thing is then steamed until cooked through.

Photo Credit: Internet

Reference: Omohivore’s Cookbook

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