19 March, 2007

Pineapple Menaskai

I love to eat fresh pineapple. It is sweet, juicy, healthy and delicious. When Maheshwari of Beyond The Usual chose this tropical fruit for this month’s AFAM I was overjoyed. With it came the confusion as what to cook. I didn’t want to cook any sweet dish of pineapple as most of my blogger buddies have cooked almost all the recipes available. So here I am with my recipe of Pineapple Menaskai which is my all time favourite dish.
Menaskai is a sweet, tangy and spicy side dish which is usually served during any family functions and weddings in my native. The main 3 ingredients in menaskai are coconut, red dry chillies and jaggery and depending on seasonal availability, bitter gourd or mango or pineapple are used to make it.

Pineapple Menaskai



Pineapple Menaskai
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: 10-15 mins
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
2 cups Pineapple
¾ cup Coconut
2 tbsp Sesame
4-5 Dry Red Chillies
1 marble sized Tamarind
1-2 tbsp Jaggery
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
For Seasoning:
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard
1 Dry Red Chillies
Few Curry Leaves

Pineapple Menaskai

Method:
Peel the outer skin of pineapple and dice them into 1 cm squares.
Cook them with 1½ cups of water, tamarind, jaggery and salt to taste.
Cook pineapple till it becomes soft in medium flame.
In a mean while, take a pan and dry roast sesame till it turns golden and keep it aside.
Take a tbsp of oil and sauté broken red chilli and grated coconut till it turns golden.
Grind this coconut, red chilli and sesame to smooth paste adding little water.
Add this ground paste to cooked pineapple and mix well.
Cook this in a medium flame till the gravy starts to boil.
Reduce the flame and cook for further 4-5 minutes till gravy starts thickening.
Season it with mustard, curry leaves and broken red chillies.
Serve hot with rice and enjoy.

Pineapple Menaskai


Tips:

You can substitute pineapple with bitter gourd or medium ripe mangoes also.
If you are making bitter gourd menaskai, increase the amount of tamarind to lime sized balls to tamper its bitterness.
Adjust the sweetness and spiciness according to your taste.

Pineapple Menaskai


Did You Know?
First called “anana”, a Carribean word for “excellent fruit”, the name “pineapple” came from European explorers who thought the fruit looked like a pinecone with flesh like an apple.
The Spanish explorers thought pineapples looked like pinecones, so they called them "Pina." The English added "apple" to associate it with juicy delectable fruits.
Of all the New World discoveries of Columbus, pineapples were the fruits that caused the biggest stir back home.
In a Caribbean rite of manhood, barefoot youths ran through pineapple plantings and were expected to bear the resulting wounds without protest.
Caribbean Indians placed pineapples or pineapple crowns outside the entrances of their homes to symbolize friendship and hospitality.
(Source: www.dole5aday.com)


Pineapple Menaskai

Ugadi Habbada Haardika Shubashayagalu

Wishing You and Your Family A Happy Ugadi


(Image Source: www.alochana.org)

39 comments :

  1. Hi dear,
    Nice, Lovely and beautiful entry!! My mouth is drooling already.Wish You Happy new Year.

    cheers
    sharmi

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am first!!!HURRAY!!!:)

    Manaskai looks yummy,I will make it some times.Whole weekend ,I didn't open my blog roll,thought I missed so many!!Party was great,I also put the blog header!!Thank you Sia,looks great darling.I didn't cook much for Wednesday,will put up some photos.

    Great info to read about Pineapple.Are you going back to work this work or what?If not,give me some ideas to unclog my stuck comments!;D Giving you something to do,don't hate me!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Sups,

    This is completely new recipe to me....Wonderful information on Pineapple..
    HAPPY UGADI...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Sia...how re u girl? busy with Ugadi preps, huh ? Enjoy the festivities:) Nice recipe and liked all the trivia about ananas :)Coincidence or what, I also posted my entry for AFAM this week :)

    Shn

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey SUps,
    I sent you this in your previous post, but never mind I will send this again, Ugadi habbada hardhika shubhashayagalu!

    Deepa

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey Supriya,

    Happy ugadi to u guys too!
    The pineapple menaskai looks yummy! Never had this before. I've had the bell pepper menaskai and loved it!
    Lovely pictures!
    Cheers
    Latha

    ReplyDelete
  7. @sharmi,
    don't just drool girl, ty to make this sometime. thank you and wish u a very happy ugadi too:)

    @ashakka,
    so had good time @b'day bash? did tushar n trisha enjoyed their party n gifts?
    will be starting my job on 3rd april. so another 2 weeks @home:)
    glad u liked the header akka. will try to add that quote also.
    happy ugadi to u n ur family:)

    @usha,
    this is very traditional recipe back in my native. i just love its tangy,sweet n spicy taste. do give it a try some time:)
    happy ugadi to u too. hope u r having gr8 time:)

    ReplyDelete
  8. @shn,
    hi there. i am fine sweetie.
    not much of festival food. just cooked authentic mangalorean food and made dates payasam for ugadi. K is on leave. so having good time together.
    will check ur AFAM entry soon. hope u r having gd time too:) tc girl...

    @deepa,
    ugadi habbada haardika shubashayagalu. habba heege nadita ide? gammatta?

    @latha,
    thank u dear. how is festival going on? hope u guys r having good time.
    bell pepper menaskai? i never had it. we usually make menaskai using bitter gourd, mango or pineapple. do u use different ingredients? do post the recipe girl:)

    ReplyDelete
  9. hey I think you missed the b'day pics in my blog I posted. Did you see them?
    btw festival cooking is on full swing

    sharmi

    ReplyDelete
  10. Happy Ugadi to you! Pineapple recipe is new...looks delightful!

    Got your message on IM...hope you're having a blast at home, my dear!

    trupti

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hey, thanks a lot for the wishes! Wish you and your family a happy Ugadi too :)
    Have you changed ur blog template? Looks very nice :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. wow, i'm learning so so many new dishes from various regions thanks to blogging. This looks so good, Sia, keep such great ones coming. I guess canned pineapple won't do jusice to this one, right? Happy Ugadi to you!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wonderful recipe. Never had or heard before. Sounds very delicious. Happy Ugadi to you and your family sia.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Happy Ugadi Supriya
    This is a new dish for me and I love that name "Menaskai"

    ReplyDelete
  15. hi!!
    thanks for visitng my blog!! its such a delight to see u'r beautiful pictures!!!
    happy ugadi to u as well!!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Pineapple menaski looks so beautiful. Lovely color. Happy New year Sia :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Supriya,
    Laika kanthu Menasu kai.HAppy ugadi to you and' K' too

    ReplyDelete
  18. @sharmi,
    yup saw it...very cute:) daily little chicken? he he he...
    do post abt ugadi celebration:)

    @trupti,
    thanks dear. yup, having gd time indeed. made dates payasam for the festival. will post the recipe after i post my JFI entry:)

    @sups,
    hope u r having gd time sweetie. festival in full swing?
    changed my template sometime back. glad u liked it:)

    ReplyDelete
  19. @richa,
    thats the beauty of blogging isn't it? i have not tried using canned pineapple. u can give it a go if u dont find fresh ones. but fresh fruits n veggies r the best:)

    @padma,
    thanks dear:) do give it a try n i am sure u will like it:) happy ugadi to u too.

    @sandeepa,
    thank u n wish u the same:)
    menaskai means chilli+coconut in kannada. he he, funny name isn't it? it tastes really good.

    ReplyDelete
  20. @Paddukoti,
    thank u dear. happy ugadi to u too:)

    @jasu,
    have u tried this before?
    happy ugadi to u too and thankyou for ur wishes

    @soumya,
    enna fav idu. yavagalu functions galalli anu idara sariyagi timbe:)
    ugadi henge aatu?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi Supriya, wow, this is very fancy vegetarian fare! With colours and flavours like these, I don't see why anyone needs meat! :) Thanks for sharing! It looks quite easy, too!

    ReplyDelete
  22. what a lovely dish. like our keralite pachadi, but with sesame.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Beautiful colors! Loved the trivia too... I kept reading the dish name as Pineapple Meenakshi... and got very confused :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Yummy...Nice recipe for the pineapple fest!
    Though I am from Mlore, never had this one! I have missed out on a whole lot of things :(.. but not any more. I can cook from your blog!

    Looks like a distant cousin to 'avanasa sasam' made my mom, but hers was a uncooked version.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I don't know how I am late to comment every time:)
    'Wish you all a Happy Ugadi'
    We also had our New Year yesterday, Gudi Padwa
    Nice recipe Sups, never thought that pineapple could be used in a savoury dish.
    Must be giving khatta meetha taste, n lovely pineapple flavour.Will surely try this.
    By the way thanks for guiding me I managed to put links in my new post successfully :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Happy Ugandi!I like curries with pineapple,I can imagine the taste with ur ingredients,and ur picture makes my mouth watering!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Happy Ugadi to you! Your recipe is cool! I had written this recipe in my book when in college, but had some other name for it. I didn't know it was a festive item. :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Supriya,
    Nice presentation!!!:-)

    HAPPY UGADI!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. @shilpa,
    yup, this is one dish packed with flavours. hope u give it a try sometime:)

    @bee,
    roasted sesame gives it wonderful aroma and taste. do try this sometime bee. its quite easy to make.

    @sig,
    pineapple meenakshi???? he he he... ha ha ha... now that is some name isn't it?;)

    ReplyDelete
  30. @manjula,
    avanasa sasam? i guess we call it pineapple sasame. u dont need to cook pineapple there, just add coconut+mustard paste to it and serve it chill.
    try menaskai manju, its very very tasty. sweet, tangy and spicy, all in one:)

    @archu,
    oh!!! u r not late sweetie:)
    happy Gudi Padwa to u and ur family:) how did u celebrate ur new year? hope u had gr8 time:)
    yup, very flavourful dish of pineapple. hope u try it sometime girl:)

    @kitchenfairy,
    mouth is watering han? he he... come over here and i will make this menaskai for u:)

    ReplyDelete
  31. @jyothsna,
    thank u and happy ugadi to u too. we usually have this for most of the functions back in my native.
    was it the same recipe or someother recipe of pineapple?

    @menutoday,
    thank you dear n wish u the same:)

    ReplyDelete
  32. I bet it tastes divine..sweet, tangy and spicy....

    Wishing you and your family a Very Happy Ugadi

    Hugs
    Sushma

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hi supriya

    ಹಾರದಿಕ ಯುಗಾದಿ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಷಯಗಳು

    As always very nice entry.We call this kairasa/Amti.

    looks like you are having a break until april. will visit again

    Roopa

    ReplyDelete
  34. Sups Happy Ugadi to you too dear girl!have a joyful,healthy and prosperous year to you and your family!

    ReplyDelete
  35. @sushma,
    u bet:)
    thank u and wish u the same dear:)

    @roopa,
    aww... tumba dhanyavadagalu. nimma habba heege naditu?
    yup. i ahve taken a month's break before staring my new cool job:)
    do visit again:)

    @sumi,
    thank you sweetie:) hope u had gr8 time:)

    ReplyDelete
  36. hey what does this photo mean?

    ReplyDelete
  37. @yunus,
    mango and cuckoo represent the spring which starts from ugadi:)

    ReplyDelete
  38. This is something new for me Supriya. Looks so yummy. Sorry for the delay in commenting. Viji

    ReplyDelete
  39. @viji,
    no prob at all viji... its not feasible for us to leave comment on every post. there is a life beyond blogging:)

    ReplyDelete

Namaste! I am Sia and welcome to Monsoon Spice, my virtual home. Thank you for all your comments, inputs and feedback. I really appreciate the valuable time you spent browsing through my recipe repertoire.

I hope you have found what you are looking for today. Feel free to leave any questions or queries you have on the recipes posted here. If you have any recipe requests, please drop a line at Ask Sia page. I will try to respond to all your queries as soon as possible to best of my knowledge.

I welcome all your valuable inputs and constructive criticism as long as it is meant to help and improve the blog. I reserve the right to delete any comments that are rude, abusive, written with the intent to advertise, contain profanity or considered spam.

I hope that you will stop by again to read my rants, learn new recipes and share your ideas. Have a good look around and enjoy your time here. Thank you once again!