Thursday, January 7, 2016

Pineapple Menaskai


Firstly, a very happy and prosperous new year to all my friends. You must be wondering as to where I have been for the last couple of months. I went to India for about 6 weeks. I had such a great time with family and enjoyed amazing food. Days used to be so busy yet fun filled that I hardly was able to come online. I was pampered both by my mum and mum-in-law. Loads of yummy dishes..ahhh..Don't worry I will sharing a few of these dishes soon in my blog :)






Now that I am back, I am slowly getting back to a routine and this would be my first post in this new year. This post is a part of the Culinary Hoppers Blog Hop event with the theme "UDUPI CUISINE".

Udupi cuisine is the cuisine of DAKSHINA KANNADA (a coastal district of Karnataka). I personally belong to this region and hence this cuisine is very close to my heart. Udupi Cuisine involves the usage of coconut as it is abundantly available.  I have already shared many recipes based on the Udupi cuisine (you can see the list below).

Today, I will be sharing a sweet, tangy yet spicy curry "Pineapple Menaskai". This curry is easy to prepare . Pineapple is boiled with jaggery and tamarind extract. To this, spiced coconut- sesame paste is added and the resultant curry is sweet, tangy and spicy ..all in one.

Pineapple Menaskai can be enjoyed with rice, roti, poori or even idli. This curry is gluten free and vegan.


So lets see, how to prepare this tasty curry...


INGREDIENTS:
Note: All measurements are based on the US measuring cup and spoon sizes where 1 cup = 235 ml
  • Pineapple (chopped) : 3 cups
  • Jaggery : 60 grams (adjust according to sweetness to desire)
  • Dry Tamarind : 15 grams (small lemon size- adjust according to the sourness in the pineapple)
  • Salt as per taste
To be ground into a paste :
  • Freshly grated coconut : 1 cup
  • Urad dal : 2 tsp
  • Chana Dal : 1 tsp
  • Fenugreek seeds / methi seeds : 1/4 tsp
  • Dried red Byadgi chillies : 5-6 (Adjust according to taste)
  • White Sesame seeds : 2 tsp
  • Oil : 1 tsp (preferably coconut oil)
  • curry leaves : a few

For the tempering, you will need:
  • Oil : 2 tsp (preferably coconut oil)
  • Urad dal : 1/2 tsp
  • Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
  • Dried red byadgi chillies : 2
  • Curry leaves : a few

PROCEDURE:
  • Soak the tamarind in some hot water for about 30 minutes. Later, extract tamarind water and discard the waste.

  • Heat 1 tsp of oil. Once hot, add urad dal, chana dal, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies, and curry leaves. Fry until the dal has changed color. Lastly add the sesame seeds and fry. Once done, turn off the heat and set it aside to cool. Once cool, grind the roasted masala and freshly grated coconut with some water into a smooth paste. Set it aside.





  • Add 2 cups of water to the chopped pineapples and cook.Add the jaggery and the tamarind water.

  • Once the pineapple is cooked, add the ground paste. Mix well. Add some extra water to adjust the consistency. The curry should have a thick consistency.Add salt and bring the curry to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.


  • To prepare the tempering, heat 2 tsp of oil. Once hot, add urad dal, mustard seeds and red chillies. Once the seeds start to splutter, add the curry leaves. Turn off the heat and add the tempering to the curry.

  • Serve Pineapple Menaskai with rice, roti or idli.
 Few other recipes based on UDUPI CUISINE:








Do check out some more delicious recipes based on Udupi Cuisine  by other talented members of the Culinary Hoppers team..
Jayashree : Sweet potato kheer
Parvathy -  Gole bajje
Shobana - Udupi Saaru
Poornima - Ginger Tambli , Haalbai and Majjige Huli

16 comments:

  1. Good to see you again and dish sounds new & interesting recipe to me..love pineapple will try !!

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  2. Wow, Pineapple gojju looks so inviting..

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  3. I love this with rice,looks delicious Shubha. i love your cuisine

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  4. The pineapple menaskai was a great choice for the theme.Sour, sweet, spicy all at once. Very delicious share dear and beautifully prepared and pictures are great. And the additional array of dishes from your region, wow mouthwatering and inviting.great!

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  5. happy new year... thanks for sharing this traditional dish

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  6. This looks totally delicious...love the sweet, tangy and spicy combo....I^m drooling just with the thought of the flavours..YUM YUM!!....Lovely share dear :)

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  7. lovely colour and love the pineapple flavour...thank u for the wonderful share dear

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  8. Drools!! I kept looking at the pictures and my mouth is watering.

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  9. That's one outstanding dish to start of 2016. It houses such beautiful flavours and the balance between the different elements of taste from sugary to tangy to spicy to savoury is married perfectly in this wonderful dish. Growing up with such a robust flavoured cuisine your expertise shows in the seamless preparation of this yummy dish. It's truly an apt dish to highlight the nuances of Udupi cuisine. I am totally in love with this post and feel like diving into that delicious bowl right away.

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  10. Drooling dish dear.I love pineapple in any form and eager to try this dish out in my kitchen

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  11. Subha so nice to be connected after so long... Loving the colour of your dish so much

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  12. Oh my God I am salivating at the pretty color of the gravy, Shubha. I can tell it tastes yummy. Have a very Happy new Year!

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  13. Love this recipe. Beautiful color and love flavor of Pineapple. This is a must try for me. :)

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