Pineapple Rasam

My favorite fruit for cooking is pineapple. Only after living in the south I have learnt to use it in cooking. This is a very flavorful rasam that can lift your spirits in minutes and those chunky pineapple pieces taste awesome and juicy. I love rasam and rice when one consciously wants a light tummy. On my bros birthday we ate so much in the day that this was the obvious choice for a dinner. 

Here is how it is made.

Ingredients

1 cup pineapple chunks

1 tablespoon rasam powder

1 green chili slit

handful of curry leaves

handful of cilantro

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida

1 teaspoon oil

1/4 cup tamarind pulp
500 ml water

salt to taste

Heat oil. Splutter Mustard. Add the asafoetida, green chili, curry leaves. Let it crispen a bit. Then add the pineapple chunks. Cover and cook for 5 mins. Once pineapple is cooked add the rasam powder and tamarind extract. Add all the water. Boil vigorously for 5-7 mins till the masala gets cook. Sprinkle the chopped cilantro and put of the heat. 

Serve hot with piping hot steamed rice or sip it in a cup. Life's simple pleasures will come to you.

Click on the label for Pineapple you will find some sooper delicious recipes on this blog.

Fruity Sasam

Lipsmacking! Sweet, Sour, Pungent and Salty. Why should it not taste delicious. The fruity fresh sasam is such a traditional salad in Konkani cuisine.

We enjoyed this with Dalitoy and Steamed rice, plain and simple. Clean fresh flavors.

I had heard a lot about sasam but got the first tasting only in Mridula's Wedding. We Koli's make Kairichi Amti but then the star there is raw mango as the name suggests. Here in the sasam it is ripe mango. I love ripe mango so much that we always have it straight, no fuss. At the most as aamras and BTW just the pulp, no extra sugar, elaichi, tup for me in my aamras. That was unlike a Maharashtrian.

Last week I saw a can of mango pulp. Believe it or not this is the first time I am tasting canned mango pulp. That itself is breaking of the ceiling for me. Once before I had tasted canned pineapple and had resolved to eat fruit only in the freshest form. Cans were out. Then life changes and I eat my words.

Well with a canned mango pulp now in the fridge I had to make something special. The can does not mention Alphonso mango, so I feel guilty of using it for something other than eating it plain but plain canned pulp does not taste the same as fresh.

So I set out to try sasam. I followed the recipe from one of my favorite blog Food for thought. I also want to pull out Ashwini from blog slumber. I loved the recipe. but I did not give it a tempering like she does. Also I noted that the sasam in Mridula's wedding was more pungent with mustard paste. The mustard fights for stardom with the tropical fruits like mango and pineapple. Also since I used pulp this kinda gave it a slightly gooey consistency.

Ingredients

1 cup ripe mango pulp
1 cup pineapple cubes
1/2 cup purple grapes

For the paste

1 green chilli chopped fine
1 teaspoon jaggery
salt to taste
3-4 tbsp coconut, grated
1-2 dry red chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds (I need more so have adjusted this to a point of reference)

The lazy me. I take a short cut. I grind all those ingredients into a coarse paste.

In a big bowl mix all the fruits and mango pulp along with the above ground paste. Adjust the salt. Keep it low on salt to get the jaggery taste to stand out.

Its ready for a slurp. Sunny flavors in the midst of winter months is good for the moods.

Russian Sandwich

This is a desert sandwich called Russian sandwich. As a kid when my Uncle took me out for a treat this was one of my favorite deserts. I was always mesmerized by libraries and Petit library was one of them. My Uncle was a member there and so I went along with him on Saturdays. It is next to the Khadi gram udyog building in Fort and only 5 mins away from my home in Fort. After lunch my Uncle would walk me down to the library. I would get introduced to the peons there and then would get access to the three floors of books.

I liked to sit in the balcony where there were old teak wood recliners, almost like beach chairs. Many a times you would see a Parsi Bawa dozing there while reading.

This library has some beautiful stained glass windows and all three floors full of books and endless books. They have a huge collection of Marathi books too besides the predominantly English collection.

Then on the way back home I would get my treat at Lalit Lunch Home that I keep mentioning about.

Ingredients

Makes 2 sandwiches

6 slices of bread
1 banana
¼ cup chopped pineapple
2 tablespoons mixed fruit jam
2 teaspoons butter

Trim the edges of the bread. I normally don’t fuss about the edges of the slices but for this sandwich I prefer trimmed slices to make it more delicate. Don’t throw them away feed it to your pet or a street dog.

Butter the slices. Layer them with jam. Now arrange the sandwich. Keep one slice jam side up ofcourse. Then slice the banana in rounds over it. Place the next slice on top, layer the pineapple. Cover with the third slice with the jam side in. Press the sandwich together lightly. Cut with a serrated knife into small pieces. You could use a variety of spreads instead of jam and a whole different medley of fruits.

Enjoy it after dinner as a dessert or as evening snack with a tangy juicy or ice tea.

Haryali Aur Malai Kofta

I find weekends really boring in Bangalore nowadays, I long to be with family. Then it is the kitchen that beckons to experiment. Yesterday I decided to make Naan and a kofta curry but I was tired of all the red curries that I see every where in restaraunts, weddings, cafeterias etc. We are so obsessed with the color red in our curries. So I went ahead to experiment on some thing.

I decided my Koftas should be coated in green textured curry not a creamy one. I looked around my pantry and collected all I needed and set out on getting the chemistry right.

I got the kofta material ready. While working on the curry I got the dough ready for the Naan. Lately I have become a fan of Tava roasted Naan. It turns out luscious better than the oven roasted ones. I got the yeast foaming and mixed in the flour and left it to rise.

The koftas were turning golden. The Naans were resting and rising.

It is so much fun when you have all the stuff and you can actually think of a lunch that will pamper your senses. Then you think of an afternoon siesta after the sapid. Aha! It is a typical weekend thing to do and that recharges your batteries for the whole of next work week.

Ingredients

For Malai Kofta

The cover
5-6 big potatoes boiled
3 slices of bread
salt to taste

The core
1/4 cup crumbled paneer
handful raisins
handful cashew nuts
handful green peas
salt to taste

For Haryali (Green Gravy)

1/8 cup cashew nuts
1/4 cup green peas
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 green chilies
1 big onion
1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 cup pineapple pieces

Ghee to fry koftas and for seasoning

1. First mash and knead together the bolied potatoes and bread with a bit of salt to get a smooth, lump free dough.

2. Now mix in a bowl paneer, peas, raisins, cashews, salt. This is used to stuff the kofta.

3. Now pinch of the dough from step1 and form a basket. Fill a bit of the stuffing. Seal together the edges of the basket to get a ball. Shape it evenly into a nice roundball. Like this make all the balls. I got about 10 ping pong sized balls. Keep aside.

4. In a shallow frying pan heat about 3 tablespoons of ghee. Put in the koftas and fry till golden and crisp. Keep rolling the pan so they are done to golden from all sides.

5. Remove the koftas in a serving dish. Keep aside.

6. While the koftas were frying I got the Haryali masala ready. I put all the ingredients together in a chutney grinder and ran it for a while to get a grainy blend. I did not want another pasty curry. If you are in a mood for the silken thing grind it further.

7. In the same frying pan in which I fried the koftas, I added about 2 teaspoons of ghee. Transferred the ground masala. Fried it on slow.

As I meditated on it thinking about W and Gulabi, wondering if things were Ok with them. Every person has to deal with their past and we feel helpless when we are kept at a deliberate distance.

To distract the thoughts I switched on the music on my cell phone. Cuz S has loaded a 1GB card with some beautiful old songs. It was playing "Iftada-e-ishq me hum sari raat jaghe, allah jaane kya hoga aage, oh mollah jaane kya hoga aage.." from the old Hindi movie Haryali Aur Rasta.

Hey I almost said aloud in a eurekaish exclamation that can be the name of my dish "Haryali Aur Malai Kofta" !! ;)

It is after all a green gravy.

8. After about 5-7 mins of frying added about 1.5 cups of water and stirred well. Left the gravy to simmer for another 5 mins.

9. Once the curry bubbles, add the pineapple pieces and cover and simmer for just 2 mins more and cover to let the volatiles from the spices flavor the gravy.

To serve spoon the green gravy over the golden fried koftas. I cut up one to show you the stuffing. Decorate with more pineapple wedges.

The Malai kofta gets its name from the paneer that turns creamy in the core on frying and the Haryali (Hindi) gets its name from ofcourse the green gravy of coriander and peas that lend their color.

This kofta curry is an original from my kitchen lab. Hope you will like it.

I wish to make this again for someone who has a thing against North Indian food. Will teach to appreciate the succulent Naan dipped in a rich kofta curry and know what bliss is. The pursuit of happiness should end here! Just wishful thinking.

Spiced Pineapple Orange Drink

It is the season of pineapples. I guess besides strawberries, pineapple is the second most favorite flavor in the world. The reason being the artificial flavors have almost reached the perfection of the real taste of the fruit. Fresh Pineapple tends to be expensive sometimes and there is a good reason for it. The Pineapple fruit can be harvested only after 15 months of cultivation which means one fruit takes 15 months to reach the market and to be available for us to enjoy.

Pineapple is grown vastly in Kerala. To a Mumbaikar like me pineapple was meant to be eaten fresh or juiced. It is only when I went to Kerala did I get to taste pineapple curry, called Mor Kuzhambu.

This drink is not a regional delicacy nevertheless I'm riding the Kerala wave with the current RCI. The smell of a very ripe Pineapple transports me to Alleppey. I remember hoping out of the car at the site of a almost orange colored ripe pineapple as the vendor was cleaning it. It was a large fruit, immediately I declared to Dad that I was going to live on Pineapple that day. We went straight to hire a launch with a wonderful deck covered with a canopy and surfed the backwaters for 6 hours from Alleppey to Kumarkom bird sanctuary. They were the most idyllic hours in my life. Dad even took over the controls of the launch for sometime and he was happy like a child who is gifted a new toy. We nibbled on the pineapple all day long and yet I was not tired. I was smelling all fruity that night.

Here is a drink I made yesterday with a nice pineapple I laid my hands on. I have some more left and the next dish you can expect would be savoury. This recipe is for my friend, Deepa for she has pineapples beckoning in her pantry.

Ingredients

2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups orange juice
a small piece of ginger ground to paste
1 small piece of cinnamon
1 clove
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons honey
2 slices of pineapple to dress up the glasses

Pound the the spices together to a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. Keep aside.

Next in a big jar add the juices, ginger paste, honey and the spice powder. Chill the juices covered for 2 hours. This will help the spice flavors to blend into to the juices well. Shake and serve in a glass of your choice. Insert a pineapple slice onto the rim.

A spiced drink even if chilled will give your throat a nice warmth as it increases blood circulation.

Pineapple Shravani Cake

Two of my kids decided to have a December wedding. Pineapple Sheera and Shravani Cake, I have been in love with them for a long time now. As the love blossomed, mine and not theirs, me as a parent many a time thought of a marriage. It would have to be arranged I thought. I did and you know what now they are in love, deep in love!

If bro V reads this he will go nuts. May be he will call me to tell he loved it as he sometimes does.

Relating to you the proceedings of the ceremony.

Dad had made a pineapple syrup and bottled it two days ago. I looked at it, so beautiful I thought. As the weekend arrived and as has been happening lately we were booked for a lunch, a family was visiting so I had to make some dessert. That's when this grandchild was born.

It is the expression of both the parents best.

Ingredients

1 cup roasted semolina

1/2 cup curd

1 cup of my Floating Pineapple Syrup

1/2 cup milk

a tiny pinch of yellow food color (you can skip this, I used it only for party effect)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons of powdered pistachios

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and allow to stand for 15 mins. Meanwhile grease a pan with ghee, a cooker pan should do. Steam for 20 -25 mins. It is steamed just like rava idlis.

Once done, cool completely and turn it upside down onto a cake stand or serving tray. Sprinkle the powdered pistachios on the cake. The yellow and green colors look sunny and fit for a mini party. It turns out really fluffy and a bite into the pineapple bits embedded in it is awesome.

This is Shravani Cake Version 2.0 as it has pineapple and it is steamed and not baked. Click here for Shravani Cake Version 1.0.

Chow Chow Bhat

Chow Chow Bhat! Yes you heard it right. A sumptuous breakfast combo sold everywhere in Bangalore and surrounding areas. Due to the omnipresence in Karnataka this post will go to Jugalbandi in the mail. Keep guessing.

It is a plate with one scoop of Upma and one of Kesari bhat (Sheera). Both are staple breakfast items individually all over India. Yet it assumes this combo avatar in blr and is called chow chow bhat. Quite misleading for a Chinese. Well chow chow is used like an adjective to denote a combination of opposites. These opposites completely change your preferences once you have tried this combo. You will never want to have Sheera and Upma as separate dishes for sure. Kesari bhat is made plain or with pineapple. Here the Kesari bhat is spiced with cloves unlike the cardamom used in the north. This is the distinction between a North Indian Sheera from a South Indian Kesari bhat!

Ingredients

For Upma

1/2 cup semolina
2 tomatoes diced
1 onion chopped fine
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon udid dal
1/4 teaspoon chana dal
2 Tablespoon oil
few curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon ghee
salt to taste

Heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, fry udid dal, chana dal and then curry leaves. Add semolina and fry till it gets fluffy and light. Add the onion and fry till translucent then add tomato and stir well. Mix in salt. Then add hot water and keep mixing . Cover for some time so the semolina absorbs all water to get fluffy upma. Add half a teaspoon of ghee on the top that will separate out the grains of semolina that have not become fluffy.

Pineapple Kesari Bhat

1/2 cup semolina
1 cup hot milk
1/2 cup Floating Pineapple Syrup
2 tablespoon ghee
few cashew nuts
3-4 cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ghee

Heat ghee fry the cashew nuts and keep aside. Fry the cloves and the semolina to a light pink and you will get a nice smell of roasted semolina. Add the hot milk and cook for 5 mins. Then add the pineapple syrup. Cook for 10 mins. Till all liquids get absorbed and semolina is fluffy. Top with 1/2 teaspoon of ghee as we did for upma.

Once both Upma and Kesari bhat are ready scoop out on to a plate. Traditionally one is white colored while the other is yellow colored. If upma is made yellow with turmeric then the kesari bhat is white or is given orange color using food color. Dad likes his upma drizzled with a little sugar.

Remember as far as possible avoid food color. Anything that is not natural is not meant to be consumed. Even if the Food and Drug organizations certify it.

A picture of Pineapple sheera when I practised what I preach no food color used here. Doesn't it look divine with the pineapple studded rava.

Upma with fresh peanuts

and this time there is turmeric making it yellow (20 Dec, 2009)

Floating Pineapple Syrup

Floating Pineapple syrup is such a obvious name for this dish. It can be made in 10 mins and can be stored for a month in the fridge. This can be had as a spread or a dip. Yet I don't make it for that reason. I keep this syrup handy when I need to make a Bangalore signature dish the Pinapple Kesari bhat in a jiffy. Mumbai people visiting me for the first time here in blr get impressed with it when their much tired Sheera comes alive with the addition of pineapple. Sheera, Sanja, Sooji halva, Kesari bhat is the same thing. I think most Indians love the prasad version and hate the everyday homemade version or is it just me. Yet the Pineapple sheera is a different thing altogether to be enjoyed at a different level but recipe for it will follow someday.

For now here is the recipe for the Floating Pineapple Syrup.

Ingredients

1 cup pineapple pieces
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice.

A pinch of yellow food color (I do not encourage the use of color in food)

Mix all items together and cook on a low flame till you get a sticky syrup of 2 string consistency. Don't worry too much about the 2 string consistency if the syrup feels like honey then its done. Put the heat off. Cool completely and store.

Kachaloo: JFI Potato

Kachaloo is my entry for the Jihva for POTATO . Thank you Vaishali for hosting and Indira for the ingenous idea. I also take the oppotunity to CONGRATULATE Indira for the Best Food Indiblog of the year 2006.

This recipe is shared with us by my Dentist friends Asif and Seema. Asif is a Muslim married to his classmate Seema a Jat. They have had some difficult times with family due to their inter religious marriage but in Mumbai these two have built an alternative family with all their patients.

Asif is a superspecialist in orthodontics yet quite a good cook. I think creativity if it is in you gets expressed in what ever one does. There are lot of things I learn from him. Inspite of being a busy person he maintains a superb balance by taking frequent small breaks from work. He also builds a relationship with his patients that both value a lot. Seema his wife I guess was impressed with exactly these qualities in Asif during the 4.5 yrs when they were students and now they have a lovely family with the addition of Muskan and Aman.

My Dad was one of his first patients and refuses to let even Seema treat him. It has to be Asif for him. Over the years our family ties have solidfied. Is Kachaloo the reason?? May be ! Apart from it being tasty in all these 9 years that we have known them Asif makes it himself for us for Iftar. Yes atleast one Iftar during Ramzan he makes sure to invite us if we are around in Mumbai.

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Gosh I'm so sorry! Sandeepa thanks for letting me know. This blogger was acting funny yesterday and I had trouble posting. I cut/ pasted 2 -3 times and got fed up and skipped the final check I normally do after posting! I'll be more careful next time.

So here you go.

Ingredients

1 cup bolied potato quartered

1/2 cup each of 4-5 fruits cut in same sizes

2 teaspoon dry roasted cumin seeds.

1 teaspoon chat masala

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon fresh crushed black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon / lime juice

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a big bowl mix all the fruits and potato. I used lime, orange, apple, pineapple, papaya and banana. Add the dry powders, salt, sugar cover with a lid and shake vigourly to mix the ingredients. Serve on banana leaves squares for the traditional bit.

Look up here for other potato recipes:

• Chipoto
• Matar Batate Pohe