Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts

Wednesday, 21 January 2026

Chicken Dhansak Recipe

https://www.kitchensanctuary.com/chicken-dhansak/

2 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee; 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped; 3 chicken breasts chopped into large chunks (this is about 525g or 18.5oz); 2 tbsp mild curry powder replace with medium or hot if you like it hotter; 1 tsp turmeric; 1 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp cumin; 2 tsp ground coriander; ¼ tsp hot chilli powder; 1 tsp ground fenugreek; ½ tsp salt; 2 garlic cloves minced; 2 tsp minced ginger; 2 tbsp tomato puree; 1 tbsp honey; 100 g (1/2 cup) red lentils; 400 ml (1 2/3 cups) passata; 480 ml (2 cups) chicken stock; 435 g (15 oz) tinned pineapple chunks in juice

To serve: basmati rice; fresh coriander (cilantro)

Heat the vegetable oil in a large lidded saucepan (or large frying pan that has a lid) over a medium heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until softened and lightly caramelised.

Add the chicken, curry power, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, coriander, chilli powder, fenugreek, salt, garlic and ginger. Stir together to coat the chicken in the spices and cook for 5 minutes, until the chicken is sealed.

Stir in the tomato puree and honey, then add the lentils, passata, chicken stock, and ½ cup (120ml) of the juice from the tinned pineapple. Stir everything together, then bring to the boil.

Turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the lentils have softened. TIP: Give the curry a stir every few minutes to stop the lentils from sticking.

Add the tinned pineapple pieces and heat through for a further 5 minutes. TIP: You can add a splash of water if the curry is looking a little too thick at this stage.

Serve with basmati rice and top with freshly chopped coriander.

Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Pineapple toor dal kesari

Dal Chawal: 85 Vegetarian Indian Recipes Combining the Power of Dal and Rice by Sapna Punjabi 2025

Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe with us Kat, Anne



½ cup toor dal (yellow split peas); 3 cups water; 1/4 tsp fine sea salt; ¼ ground turmeric; 1 cup sugar; 1 cup water; 6-8 saffron strands; ½ tsp ground cardamon; 1 cup almond flour; 1 tblsp ghee or unsalted butter, melted; 1//4 cup crushed pineapple, fresh or canned; Garnish – 2 tblsp coconut flakes, sweetened or unsweetened; 2 tblsp slivered almonds

Rinse the toor dal in a fine mesh sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear, about a minute. Transfer to a medium bowl, add water to cover by 5 cm and soak for 30-60 minutes. Drain.

In a 3 litre heavy bottomed pot, combine the dal, water, salt and turmeric. Partially cover and cook over medium heat, skimming any foam, until dal is soft and mushy, about 40 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh sieve and set aside.

In the same pot, combine the sugar, water, saffron strands and cardamon. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until syrup reaches the thread stage, about 5 minutes. To test press a drop of syrup between the backs of 2 metal spoons and pull them apart; if the syrup is ready a thin thread will form. Exercise caution in this step as the syrup is hot.

Add the cooked dal, almond flour and ghee to the syrup and stir constantly for 5 minutes over medium-low heat until all the liquid is cooked off. Add the pineapple and mix well for an additional minute or so.  

Serve warm and garnish with coconut flakes and slivered almonds.

Wednesday, 14 June 2023

How would you like your tea? With chilli pineapple please.

Lemon Tea with Chilli Pineapple    

Adapted from https://feastforfreedom.org.au/cms/lemon-tea-with-chilli-pineapple Manel’s Malaysian-Indian Recipes

Ingredients:

Tea - 2 ½ tblspn black loose leaf tea; 1.25lt water; 5 lemons, quartered; 2 ½ tblspn white sugar

Pineapple – 1 pineapple, peeled, halved and cut into 1 cm slices; white sugar; salt; chilli powder

Method:

Tea – In a pot, bring all the water to the boil. Remove from heat and add the tea leaves, sugar and lemon.

Allow to infuse for 3-5 minutes

Strain through a sieve and your tea is now ready to serve

Pineapple – Arrange pineapple slices on a plate. Sprinkle a little sugar, salt and chilli over each slice.

Tuesday, 2 May 2023

Pineapple Kesari, a recipe from Southern India

Adapted from https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/pineapple-kesari-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-136807

"Pineapple Kesari also known as Pineapple Sheera or Pineapple Halwa is a delicious, melt in the mouth sweet made with rava or suji (semolina or cream of wheat), fresh pineapple, sugar, ghee and nuts" the website.

Ingredients:

½ cup rava finer variety and unroasted, (sooji or cream of wheat) - 120 grams; ½ cup sugar or add as required; 1.5 cups water; 4 tablespoons Ghee; 12 to 15 cashews; 1 tablespoon raisins; ¼ teaspoon green cardamom powder or 2 to 3 green cardamoms crushed in a mortar-pestle; ¾ cup chopped pineapple or 3 to 4 pineapple slices cut in ½ inch cubes; 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped pineapple - for garnish, optional; 1 to 2 drops natural yellow food color or 10 to 12 strands of saffron, optional; 1 to 2 drops pineapple essence - optional

Instructions:

Cooking pineapple with water - First chop the pineapple in small cubes and set aside. In a pan or saucepan, take the chopped pineapple cubes, 1.5 cups water and ½ cup sugar. Add one or two drops of the natural yellow colour extract. You can also add about 10 to 12 strands of saffron to get a yellow colour. You can also add pineapple essence for a dominant pineapple flavour. Stir well and keep this pan on the stovetop and bring to a boil. While simmering, do stir so that the sugar dissolves.

Roasting rava - Meanwhile, in another pan or kadai take 4 tablespoons ghee and heat it on a low flame. Let the ghee melt. Add 12 to 15 cashews. Stir and add rava (sooji). Mix very well. Then add ¼ teaspoon  green cardamom powder and stir to mix. Stir often and roast the rava till the cashews turn a light golden and you see ghee releasing from the sides. The colour of the rava will also change. This takes about 4 to 5 minutes on a low to medium-low heat. Keep on stirring, so the rava does not get browned.

By this time, the pineapple + water mixture would also begin to boil.

Making pineapple kesari - Pour the hot pineapple and water mixture to the pan with the roasted sooji. Stir quickly and briskly so that lumps are not formed.

Simmer on a low heat and allow the sooji to absorb the water. Add raisins. Mix again. In just about 4 minutes, the rava will soften up and the pineapple halwa is done. You should not see any creamish specks on the kesari. This means that the rava has not cooked properly.

Serve pineapple kesari hot as it is or garnished with some pineapple cubes.

Notes:                                                                                                                                          Make sure to use pineapple which are sweet tasting.                                                                    The recipe can be halved or doubled.                                                                                            You can also use tinned pineapple slices. But while using tinned pineapple slices, no need to boil them in water. Just add them directly when you add the hot bubbling sugar syrup to the roasted rava.

Sunday, 19 May 2019

Pineapple Malpua

http://www.bongcookbook.com/2007/04/pineapple-malpua.html                                                      

Pineapple Malpua

What You Need:
The measure here makes about 14 malpuas
For Batter: Maida/all purpose flour ~ 1 cup; Sooji/Semolina ~ 1/2 cup; Crushed Pineapple ~ 1/3 cup of crushed pineapple. I used from a Dole Brand can of Crushed Pineapples; Fennel Seeds ~ 1 tsp; Milk (Whole Milk is best) ~ 3/2 cup that is 1 and 1/2 cup silly
For Sugar Syrup or Chinir Ros: Sugar ~ 1 cup; Water ~ 1 cup
Bring water & sugar to boil in a pan till you get a syrup of one-thread consistency. The syrup should be similar to the one you make for say Gulab Jamuns
For Frying: Oil
How My Ma Did It:
Make the batter with all the ingredients listed under "For batter" and let it sit for 3-4 hours
Make the Sugar Syrup by boiling water and sugar to a 1 string consistency
Heat Oil
Pour batter (about 1/3 cup) in the oil to make a round flat shape like a pancake but of smaller radius
Fry both sides till golden brown
Dunk in sugar syrup
Let it soak for a couple of minutes and the take it out
Serve warm

Tuesday, 18 December 2018

Cheers to travelling pineapple spotters

Thanks everyone. Happy travelling. Happy Pineapples!


Jenny, Western Australia


Donna, Darling Harbour, Sydney


Donna, Sydney Royal Easter Show


Sarah D, Vietnam


Sarah H, Ajmir, India


Colleen, card by Col Wacka Designs UK


Greg, pineapple with licorice and coconut ice cream in an Amsterdam Restaurant


"At Avignon last night.... they called it the Lolita.... it consisted of apricot.... pineapple sorbet...raspberry syrup and cream with a thin wafer...." Greg



Greg, Rijksmueum, Amsterdam


Gabi, Avignon, France



"The dining room in No 1 Royal Terrace. We were told a pineapple in the late 1700s cost £109 in today's money. Quite an extravagance!" Rosie and Allan



Emily, Jungfraujoch Switzerland
Wow! Great to see the beanie touring the world - would you like matching socks?



Georgina C "The first photo, with Cuppie, was taken at a market near Palankaraya, Central Kalimantan, and the second of the growing plant, was taken in the village of Jahanjang, also in Central Kalimantan, Borneo.


(Cuppa is a film star who travels the world encouraging people to use reusable cups)



Mark and Lorraine, Macys, New York


Pineapple display spotted by James in a Cracker Barrel in Lexington Park, USA



and the latest from Bronnagh, Pigeonhole, Sydney

Tuesday, 17 October 2017

Pineapple "Indian-style"

Excite the Appetite, Recipes from Sydney’s Top Restaurants Chefs and Celebrities, 1970s



Entrée Recipe from Channel 9’s Midday Show, Glynn Christian


Maharajah’s Gilded Fruit Pulau


Ingredients: 6 tblspn butter; 6 whole cloves; 6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed; 1 tspn mustard seed; 1 tspn cumin seed; 1 tspn coriander seed, lightly crushed; ¼ tspn or more saffron threads; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 tspn salt; 350g basmati rice; 500ml stock or water; 750g trimmed weight fresh fruit – peaches, plums, apples, pineapple, etc; edible gold leaf (optional)

Method: Put the butter and spices into large casserole with a tight fitting lid. Cook on high for 3 minutes. Stir in the salt and the rice until evenly coated. Pour on the stock or water, stir, cover and cook on high for 9 minutes.

The fruit should be in big generous pieces, no less than eights for apples, peaches, for instance. Put these on top of the rice, cover again and cook on high for 6 minutes. Let rest 3 minutes or more, then spoon out onto a large platter, mixing in the fruit without breaking it up. Add edible gold leaf if you wish and serve with any sort of Indian meal. Serves 6 – 8


Thanks for tracking down the edible gold leaf Ky !! He found it in Essential Ingredients.



Cooking with Fruit, compiled by Mary-Lou Arnold,1985 Sydney






Mixed Fruit Raita


2 cups yoghurt; 2 tblspn cream; ½ mango, diced; ½ banana, diced; 1 slice pineapple, diced; 1 tblspn finely chopped mint; salt


Whip yoghurt and cream together until smooth. Mix in remaining ingredients. Chill thoroughly.


Serves 6

Encyclopaedia of Creative Cooking, a step-by-step guide to the world’s best cooking, Volume 5 Vegetables, Sydney 1979
Lamb & Pineapple Curry, India
2 ripe bananas; 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced; juice 1 lemon; 1 large onion, chopped; 1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped; 1/8 cup oil; 1 tblspn curry powder; 2 tblspn flour; 1 tspn turmeric; 1 clove garlic, chopped; 2 tblspn fruit chutney; ¾ cup pineapple cubes; 1 medium cooking apple, peeled, cored and diced; 1 large tomato, skinned and coarsely chopped; 1 cup corn kernels; 2 cups meat stock; 2 cups, diced cooked lamb; salt and freshly ground (milled) black pepper; 1 1/4cups long grain rice, uncooked;
For the garnish: parsley sprigs; few lemon slces
1 Mix the banana, sweet potato and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes
2 Lightly fry the onion and green pepper in the oil
3 Add the curry powder, flour, turmeric, garlic, chutney, pineapple, apple, tomato, corn kernels, and the banana and sweet potato mixture
4 Pour in the meat stock, add the cooked lamb, and season to taste. Simmer gently for 2 minutes
5 Meanwhile, boil the rice in salted water until cooked. Drain and arrange in a circle on a heated serving dish. Spoon the curry into the middle of the rice ring, and garnish with sprigs of fresh parsley and quarters of lemon slices
Serves 4

Curries from the Sultan's Kitchen: Recipes from India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon, Doris M Ady, illustrations by Inge Fernando, 1976 Sydney


Pineapple Mustard Relish

Ingredients: 1 small tin crushed pineapple; 1 tblsp Indian or Ceylon ground black mustard; 2 cloves garlic; 1cm piece of green ginger; 1 ½ tsp sugar; ½ tsp salt; ¼ cup vinegar

Preparation: Pound, or put through a mouli, the garlic and ginger.

Combine all ingredients, except the pineapple. Mix well and taste for salt and sugar.

Put the drained pineapple into a dish, and pour the mustard dressing over.

Serves 8


Encyclopaedia of World Cookery, Elizabeth Campbell, London 1958


Pineapple Balls (Anglo-Indian)
2 eggs; 4 tblsp sifted flour; a pinch of salt; ½ cup milk; 2 tblsp finely chopped pineapple; fat for deep frying; castor sugar
Make a thick batter of the flour, eggs, salt and milk, add the pineapple, mix well. Have the fat smoking hot, drop in the mixture a dessertspoonful at a time. Fry until golden brown, drain well and serve with castor sugar sifted over them. They should puff up into golden balls.

Thursday, 21 January 2016

Pineapples in Bangladesh and India

Our daughter, Ella, spent most of 2015 in Bangladesh working with CARE. She was able to go exploring occasionally and visited a pineapple plantation while in Srimangal.
 

 
Les and I joined Ella and a friend, Sarah, in India last October. These photos are a small part of the experience (the important pineapply part) !
 
 
Pineapple and tea growing together near New Jalpaiguri, West Bengal.

 
While staying at Floatel Hotel in Kolkata I taste tested all the cocktails/mocktails on offer that contained pineapple juice! Starting with an "Ice Berg Lagoon: litchi juice, pineapple juice, Blue Curacao and Vanilla Cream".
 
 
"Cinderella: orange and pineapple with raspberry syrup, chopped fruit, top up with soda".

 
"Bliss All Time: pineapple, orange, gingerale and top with soda".


"Old Summer Punch: orange, mango, pineapple, fresh cream and Grenadine syrup".

 
Fresh pineapple for breakfast with pineapple curd.

 
 
Fresh pineapple on a stall in Mirik, West Bengal Hills.

 
Pineapple Raita, a sweet and spicy side dish, Mirik.
 
 
 
 
 
Pineapple cakes at Kolkata Airport.
 
 
Fresh pineapple for sale in Kolkata.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 And Mirik.
 
 
 
Pineapple accessories.
 
 
Pineapple shaped garbage bins (Kolkata Botanic Gardens).
 
 
And a man (who wasn't as serious as he looks) selling a pineapple flavoured purgative in a pharmacy in Darjeeling! Anne