Onam holds a special place in the heart of all Malayalees. And when you think of Onam, some images that come to your mind are of Kerala sari and mundu, pookalam (flower rangoli) and the onam sadya. We all know that food brings people together and that’s exactly what a sadya does. And a growing trend we are seeing now is that it is not only the Malayalees who look forward and enjoy an Onam sadya. Non-malayalees are equally excited about a sadya. A meal which is heavy on the use of coconut suddenly becomes fancier for many.
A typical sadya has multiple courses and many side dishes. One such side dish in a sadya that I love is the sweet pineapple curry. There are multiple variants of this pineapple curry, Some use only pineapples, some add grapes to it and there is another version which has ripe plantains added as well along with pineapple and grapes.
The recipe I am sharing here uses pineapple and grapes. Red/purple grapes is what is used usually. However, green grapes can be used if the red/purple ones are not available. If you are looking for more Onam/Sadya recipes, then do check this out.
Pineapple Pachadi
Course: Side DishCuisine: Indian, KeralaDifficulty: Moderate4
servings15
minutes15
minutes30
minutesA sweet pineapple and yoghurt curry which is served as part of the traditional Kerala Sadya!
Ingredients
- For Grinding Together
Grated coconut – ½ cup
Green Chilli – 1-2, chopped
Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin Seeds – ¼ tsp
Water – as needed
- Other Ingredients
Chopped Pineapple – 1.5 cups
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Red Chilli Powder – ¼ tsp
Water – 1/4-1/3 cup
Salt – as per taste
Jaggery – 2 tsp (adjust as per sweetness of pineapple)
Black or red grapes – a few
Yoghurt – ½ cup, whisked well
- For Tempering
Coconut Oil/Ghee – ½ tbsp
Mustard Seeds – ¼ tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Shallots/Small Onions – 3, finely sliced
Dry Red Chilli – 2, broken into two pieces
Directions
- In a mixie jar, add the grated coconut, green chilli, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and water and grind it together to a smooth paste.
- In a kadai, add the pineapple pieces along with the turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and water and cook till pineapples are soft.
- To this, add the ground coconut paste and let it all cook together for a couple of minutes.
- Next, add jaggery and salt as needed.
- Finally, add the grapes and turn off the heat.
- After turning off the heat, add the whisked and smooth curd and mix well.
- In a small pan, add the coconut oil.
- To this, add the mustard seeds.
- Once the seeds crackle, add the curry leaves and shallots and fry.
- When the shallots start changing color, add the dry red chilli and fry it together till the shallots turn a golden brown color.
- Add this tempering on top of the cooked pachadi and serve.
