kalakkalsamayal: Pineapple-Mint-Chutney

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Pineapple-Mint-Chutney

#PineappleMintChutney :
#Pineapple is full of nutrients and rich in antioxidants. The enzymes present in it helps in digestion. It may boost immunity and suppress inflammation. It may ease symptoms of arthritis. 100 gms of raw pineapple gives 50 calories, rich source of Manganese [ 44% ] and Vitamin C [ 58 % ] and very low in fat.
Actually, eating fresh and juicy slices of pineapple with a dash of pepper powder / chilly powder is the best way to enjoy the fruit. The aroma & flavor of it is so refreshing and its sweet & tangy taste invite you to indulge more. But after eating one or two pieces the teeth would become so sensitive and very painful to bite anything anymore after that. So the next best option is making juice. Fresh juice made from pineapple without adding anything is unique in taste and can say undoubtedly that pineapple juice is the queen of all juices.
Last week I got an unripe pineapple which was bland in taste and was devoid of its usual sweet & tangy taste. So I made Pineapple mor kuzhambu from one half of that fruit and saved remaining portion in the refrigerator. Then I decided to prepare a chutney from that saved pineapple along with Pudhina [ mint ] as an apt accompaniment to Idli. Nowadays. I tend to include #pudhina [ #mint ] leaves in all the dishes I prepare as I have a wide green bed of mint in my garden.
I thought that the aroma and zing flavor of #Pudina [ #Mint ] and sweet & sour taste of pineapple would lift the taste of chutney to a different level. As imagined the outcome hadn't failed me and it was a sweet success. The chutney has become an instant hit among my family and nobody could figure out from which ingredient the chutney was made of!!

Ingredients :
15 - 20	Pineapple cubes of 1 in.
1/3 cup	Pudina leaves [ Mint ]
12 - 15	Curry leaves [ Optional ]
1/2 inch long	Turmeric tuber*
2 - 3	Red chilly [ adjust ]
Small piece	Asafoetida [ Perungayam ]
1 Tsp	Black gram
1 Tsp	Horse gram
3 Tbsp	Coconut scrapings
1 Tsp	Flax seed
2 Tsp	Ginger chopped
6 -10	Black pepper corns
1/2 Tsp	Jaggery [ optional ]
1 Tsp	Salt [ adjust ]
2 Tsp	Gingelly oil [ till / sesame oil ]

* If turmeric tuber is not available then take 1/4 Tsp of turmeric powder.

Method :
Clean pudhina leaves [ mint ] and curry leaves in water two or three times.
Drain the water and set aside.

Take 1 1/2 Tbsp of water in a pressure cooker and add chopped pineapple pieces and nicely chopped turmeric tuber.
Pressure cook for two whistles on high flame.
Turn off the stove and release pressure immediately.
Keep aside.

Heat a kadai with half a teaspoon of oil on slow flame.
Add red chilly and asafoetida [ perungayam ] once oil starts fuming.
Fry red chilly till its color changes to dark red.
Remove them and place it into a dry bowl.
Fry black pepper till it starts spluttering.
Transfer into the same bowl.

Now add half a teaspoon of oil and then add black gram.
Keep stirring for a minute and then add horse gram.
Continuously stir till black gram turns golden brown and horse gram starts crackling.
Transfer into the same bowl.

Roast flax seeds till it crackles and transfer into the same bowl.

Allow them to cool down to room temperature.

Now take all roasted ingredients into a mixie jar along with salt and coconut scrapings.
Run the mixer grinder without adding water.
Now transfer cooked pineapple along with water from pressure cooker into the mixie jar.
Add pudhina leaves, curry leaves and jaggery also.
Grind into a smooth paste adding enough water.
Adjust salt and Transfer into a serving bowl.

A very good accompaniment for tiffins like Upma,

Pongal, Rice Sundal,

idli and dosai.

This chutney can also be mixed with hot white rice along with a dash of gingelly oil [ sesame/till oil ] and relished with sambar or any favorite vegetable curry of ones choice.

You may like to try :