Tag Archives: Pineapple

Recipes: Plum, Pineapple and Ginger Chutney

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A few weeks back GG asked me if I wanted fruits from the supermarket. On an impulse, I asked her to buy some plums so I could make this plum chutney. On the day I was supposed to make the chutney, I realised we had some fresh pineapple at home which was quite sour and no one wanted to eat it. So I decided to incorporate the pineapples plus some ginger into the chutney and the result was this tangy and slightly sweet pineapple, plum and ginger chutney.

Plum, Pineapple and Ginger Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 8 red/purple plums
  • ½ fresh pineapple
  • 1 cup raisins or dates
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • Salt to taste
  • 1-2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • ½ tsp fennel powder
  • Jaggery powder to taste (optional)

Method:

  • Soak the raisins or dates in hot water for 30 minutes, drain and keep aside.
  • Deseed the plums and chop them into small pieces.
  • Blend the pineapple, plums, ginger and raisins into a smooth paste.
  • Strain this paste into a large pan so there are no lumps. At this point, it will be a light pink or red mixture.
  • Heat the pan and let the mixture come to a boil. You can add a bit of water if needed.
  • Add the dry spices – salt, red chilli powder and cumin powder and let the mixture bubble and cook until it thickens.
  • If the mixture is still sour, add some brown sugar or jaggery to balance the taste. 
  • Switch off the gas and let the chutney cool. Once it cools, it becomes a gorgeous purple chutney.

This chutney can be used instead of tamarind chutney and keeps well in the fridge for a few weeks. Remember to use a dry spoon when using it, so there is no contamination.

Recipe: Pineapple Halwa or Pineapple Kesari

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One of the simplest sweets, a kesari or Halwa is made of semolina or rava and is usually the go-to sweet in many South Indian households. Very simply put, a kesari is a sweet sweet upma.

The usual way to make a Kesari is to make it exactly like a plain upma and substitute salt with sugar. Most people add a bit of orange colour to get the distinctive orange hue. During Navaratri last year, I decided to make this on one of the days and added pineapple to it to make Pineapple Kesari. Because I didn’t have any colour on hand, I used a bit of saffron which is why my Kesari is pale cream or yellow. If orange or yellow colour is used, it would have a bright yellow colour.

Pineapple Kesari

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup semolina or rava, roasted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 cups water
  • 4 tbsp ghee
  • 12-15 cashewnuts
  • 1 tbsp raisins
  • ¼ tsp cardamom powder
  • 1 tin canned pineapple
  • 1-2 drops natural yellow or orange colour
  • 1 large pinch saffron

Method:

  • Dry roast the semolina until it starts to emit an aroma. If it is already pre-roasted, you just need to dry roast it for a couple of minutes.
  • Boil the water in a kettle or pot and keep aside, letting it be boiling until needed.
  • Heat 2 tbsp ghee in the same pan in which the semolina was roasted and when the ghee becomes warm and fry the cashew nuts until they are golden brown. Drain the ghee and remove to a kitchen towel and keep aside.
  • Fry the raisins for a couple of seconds and remove and keep aside.
  • Keep aside some of the pineapple and chop it into tiny pieces and keep aside. Blend the balance pineapple into a fine puree and keep aside.
  • Heat 2 tbsp ghee and fry the pineapple pieces for a few minutes. Add in the puree and saute covered for about two minutes.
  • Now add the sugar and stir well. Add in the water and let the water come to a rolling boil. Add in any colour if you are using as well as the saffron.
  • Now add the roasted semolina and quickly stir so that there no lumps form. Add in the cardamom powder as well as the fried cashew nuts and raisins and stir constantly so that lumps are avoided. A rule of thumb I use is that to make the kesari slightly watery so that it does not harden as it cools. Once the water has been absorbed, cover and serve hot.

Notes:

  • If the kesari is cold, you can warm it slightly before serving as this sweet tastes better warm rather than cold.
  • If you are not using tinned pineapple, you will need to cook the pineapple pieces for a bit and soften it before adding the semolina.

Recipes: Pineapple Rasam

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A special variety of Rasam, this one is made usually during weddings and is something we don’t usually make during a normal lunch. I have made this many aeons ago and so this week when I opened a tin of pineapple, I decided to keep aside some to make this yummy rasam.

Rasam is a spicy soup made in south India using tamarind juice, pepper, tomato, cumin and other spices and each household has their own unique recipe which they make on a daily or regular basis. Rasam has a distinct sour, peppery and chilly taste that makes it a true repository of flavours. Rasam is either eaten along with rice or savoured after a meal. The British also adapted this rasam and what is Mulligatawny Soup is nothing more than rasam. In Tamil, this word translates to “Pepper Water”

Rasam prevents constipation, is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals, facilitates digestion, is rich in antioxidents, helps in weight loss, is an excellent food for patients recovering from illness and the best food when introding babies to solids.

Pineapple Rasam

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup Toor Dal
  • 6 rings of pineapple
  • 1 tsp rasam powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 tsp peppercorn
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 4-6 dried red chillies
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Pressure cook the toor dal with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and enough water till it is soft and mushy. Keep aside.
  • Chop 2 of the pineapple rings into small pieces and keep aside.
  • Chop one tomato into small pieces and keep aside.
  • Powder the cumin seeds, peppercorns and 2 dried chillies into a coarse powder and keep aside.
  • Blend together the balance pineapple slices into a smooth paste and keep aside.
  • Blend the remaining tomato into a smooth paste and keep aside.
  • In a largish pan, mix together the tomato puree, 1 cup water, the remaining turmeric powder and half the quantity of the blended peppercorn, cumin and dried chilli powder and let it start boiling.
  • When it comes to a boil, add the pineapple paste and rasam powder and let it continue to boil. Allow the pineapple paste and tomato puree to cook well.
  • In a separate pan, add the ghee and when the ghee warms up, add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add in the red chillies, after breaking them into halves, the asafoetida, rest of the ground pepper-cumin-chilli powder and saute it for 20 seconds
  • Add the chopped pineapple and tomato pieces and saute it for 2 minutes in a medium flame
  • Add the ingredients in the pan to the rasam which has been boiling all along.
  • At this point, add the mushed dal and mix well.
  • Then add 1.5 – 2 cups of water and keep the flame in a medium level until the rasam starts to froth. Finally, garnish with coriander leaves and remove from flame.
  • The delicious and spicy pineapple rasam is ready to serve. Serve with rice and an Indian dry vegetable stir fry.

Notes:

  • If you don’t have access to rasam powder, just omit it, the taste should be just as good.
  • You can also blend together some garlic pods along with the cumin seeds, peppercorns and red chillies for a different taste.
  • This is wonderful as a slightly spicy and tangy soup during the winters.

Recipe: Pineapple Fried Rice

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The other day S brought a whole peeled pineapple to eat. We ate around a third of it and then I was left wondering what to do with the rest of the pineapple. I usually make a pineapple onion raita with pineapple, but thought I should do something different with it. I then tried this pseudo-Thai Pineapple Rice and it was yum!

This pineapple rice is inspired by the Thai one but is Indianised as I am wont to usually do. I also tried to make it slightly healthier without the addition of any coconut milk.

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Pineapple Fried Rice

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups basmati rice, washed and soaked in water for 20 minutes, then drained completely and kept aside
  • 1 onion, chopped finely
  • ½ cup of pineapple chunks chopped into medium sized pieces
  • 2 tbsps raw peanuts
  • 2 tbsps cashew nuts
  • 1 green chilli, chopped into smallish slices
  • 1-inch piece ginger julienned
  • 1 tsp garlic paste or finely minced garlic
  • ½ carrot chopped into small pieces
  • 2 tbsps frozen sweet corn
  • 2 tbsps frozen green peas
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp oil
  • Coriander leaves and chopped green onions to garnish

Method:

  • Cook the basmati rice and when cooked, spread it on a large plate and cool completely.
  • In a pan heat the oil and when the oil warms up, add the garlic paste and ginger juliennes and stir for a couple of seconds. Then add the green chillies and let them cook for a few seconds.
  • Now add the raw peanuts and cashew nuts and let them brown.
  • Add the onion and let the onions cook till they become translucent.
  • When translucent, add the carrots, green peas and corn and let it cook.
  • Now add the pineapple chunks and let the pineapple slightly caramelised.
  • Add salt to taste and let it all cook for a few minutes.
  • Switch off the flame and add the rice and mix well.
  • Check for seasoning and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves and chopped green onions.

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