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.

Thai-style noodles with cashews & pineapple

Adapted from China Study Cookbook 2017 USA according to the ingredients I already had. It was delicious. I love the curry/pineapple combo, Anne

Serves 4-6

450g whole grain linguine; 2 tblsp arrowroot powder; 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth; 1 ½ cups canned lite coconut milk; 3 tblsp tamari, to taste; 1 tblsp Thai red curry paste; 1 tblsp curry powder; grated zest & juice 1 lime; 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes; 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced; 1 red bell pepper, seeded & cut into 3 cm squares; 3 cups sliced bok choy; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped fresh pineapple; ½ cup toasted cashews for garnish; ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil for garnish; ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro for garnish; 3 tblsp finely chopped fresh mint for garnish

Cook the whole grain linguine according to the package instructions, then drain & rinse under cold water until cool. Set aside.

While the linguine is cooking, in a medium bowl whisk the arrowroot powder into the vegetable broth. Whisk in the coconut milk, tamari, curry paste & curry powder, lime zest & juice, & red pepper flakes. Set aside.

Sauté the onion & bell pepper in a large skillet over medium heat until the onion turns translucent & starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tblsp at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking. Add the bok choy & garlic & cook for another minute.

Stir in the red curry paste mixture, pineapple & cooked linguine, & cook until heated through. Serve, garnished with cashews & chopped fresh herbs.

 

Pineapple and tempeh kebabs

Adapted from “Clean Food: A seasonal guide to eating close to the source” 

Terry Walters 2007 USA

Ingredients, makes 15:

2 X 225g package organic tamari and ginger tempeh, cut into squares; 1 green capsicum, cut into squares; ½ fresh pineapple, cut into triangles

Soak 15 wooden satay sticks in water 15 minutes before assembling kebabs. Place tempeh, capsicum and pineapple onto sticks. Spray lightly with oil and cook 3-4 minutes each side on a grill.