Fried Rice Is 10X More Flavorful When You Add These 2 Hawaiian-Inspired Canned Items

Yesterday's fried rice can be the dullest kind of leftovers to deal with. But if you've got a big bowl of cold fried rice sitting in the refrigerator and are looking to give it a second life as something that's both delicious and comes with a surprisingly traditional Hawaiian twist, all you need are two cheap canned items you might already have knocking around the back of your cupboards: Spam and diced pineapple.

While not native to Hawaii, the islands once produced over 80% of the canned pineapple in the world and, as a result, pineapple became synonymous — in both name and flavor — with Hawaiian food culture. Spam, too, has long been a part of Hawaiian cuisine. Since first being brought to the islands during WWII, it quickly became not just a convenience item, but an indispensable staple that found its way into traditional recipes and those brought to the area by immigrants from China, Japan, the Philippines, and elsewhere.

Today, Spam is a vital part of the region's incredibly diverse foodways (Hawaiian McDonald's locations even have it on the menu), so using it to jump up the flavor of your leftover fried rice couldn't be more authentic. In also adds a nice, filling protein boost to boring old leftover fried rice, and the unmistakably slick, salty, smoky and pork-y taste of fried Spam is an ideal counterpoint to the starchy bulk of the rice — especially when cut with the sweetness and slight acid sting of pineapple chunks.

As far as recipes go, this really is the simplest thing imaginable: fry up the Spam in chunks, re-heat the fried rice until it's good and hot, add them together, mix in some drained, diced pineapple, and you're done. But if you're down for just a little bit more complexity, you can start by frying up sliced garlic and ginger in oil in a super-hot wok (or frying pan) for about 30 seconds, then removing it before frying the Spam and adding the rice. The fried garlic and ginger go back in right at the end. This adds an additional layer of flavor to the finished dish. You can also sear the pineapple chunks to add a hint of char and a caramelized edge to their sweetness if the sugars are too overwhelming.

To make it even heartier, scramble an egg and add it to the mix. Doing it right in the same pan, in a cleared section, will save time, space, and marry the flavors of the Spam, eggs, garlic and whatever other ingredients you choose to include. Some chopped green onions as a garnish can bring a spark of color and a crisp, savory top-note.

Even in its simplest incarnation, Spam and canned pineapple can make leftover fried rice into a satisfying second-day meal. But a quick look around the kitchen can provide lots of options for making this simple and comforting, Hawaiian-influenced dish into something truly special.