Cheap Eats: Star Chefs' Spam Recipes

Spam and Pineapple Fried Rice

Recipe courtesy of Executive Chef Jet Tila of Las Vegas' Wazuzu (part of Steve Wynn's Encore resort set to Dec. 22)

• 1 medium Pineapple
• 3 Tbsp. Cooking Oil
• 4-6 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbsp. Shallots, diced
• 4 oz. Spam, cut into small dice
• 1/2 Tbsp. Ginger, finely chopped
• 4 cups Day-old rice
• 2-3 Tbsp. Fish sauce
• 1-2 Tbsp. Thai soybean sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp. Curry powder
• 2 to 3 Green onions, chopped
• 2 tsp. White pepper
• 3 Tbsp. Cilantro leaves

Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise and cut out the fruit section. Remove the core and cut the fruit into medium dice. Reserve about one cup of pineapple for the fried rice.

In a large skillet, heat oil until a wisp of white smoke appears, add garlic, ginger, and shallots and cook until light brown. Add the Spam and cook until slightly crisp, about 1 minute.

Fold in rice; make sure not to break rice grains. Add in the fish sauce, soybean sauce, sugar and curry powder. Continue to stir for about a minute. Stir in pineapple and incorporate well. Cook the fried rice for about 1 to 2 more minutes, folding constantly and mixing all the ingredients well.

Fold in green onions and white pepper. Transfer the fried rice into the halved pineapple. Garnish with some fresh cilantro.

See Chef Lidia Bastianich's bread-recycling recipes.

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See Chef Lidia Bastianich's bread-recycling recipes.

Watch TIME's video "Bacon Chocolate Bar."