Pineapple pulissery

A charming part of a Keralite culinary experience is the mix and match of flavors. One dish that is a blend of sweet and spice is the pineapple pulissery

As with any dish, recipes can be modified to suit individual tastes. The original pineapple pulissery uses grated coconut paste as well

However, the recipe I have followed is one that uses minimal ingredients easily found in most kitchens and with much less hassle, all the while ensuring the taste is as is ;-))

What I used

1. Nicely beaten curd: 500 ml
2. Shallots: half cup finely chopped
3. Mustard seeds: a teaspoon
4. Cooking oil: 2-3 tablespoons
5. Curry leaves: 1 sprig
6. Pineapple chopped into fine pieces: half cup
7. Water: 1 cup
8. Salt: to taste
9. Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
10. Chili powder: 1/2 teaspoon
11. Dry red chilies: 3-4
12. Green chili: 1
13. Thulsi sprig (optional)

How I made it

1. In a pan, heat the finely chopped pineapple pieces with just enough water to cover the pieces, a bit of salt (and if required, sugar), till the pineapple pieces soften. Once done, keep this aside to cool
2. Heat another pan on medium flame and once it is hot, splutter the mustard seeds and saute the finely chopped shallots with the dry red chilies and curry leaves
3. Once the shallots have turned translucent, add the required amount of salt, chili, and turmeric powders
4. When the raw smell of these curry powders are gone, add the softened pineapple pieces with the syrup and green chili, and bring to a boil
5. Turn down the heat to low flame and add the the beaten curd (better if there are no lumps in the curd) to the above treat. Mix well and just heat the contents. DO NOT BOIL!
6. Can be garnished, if so desired, according to the taste of the user. I garnished with a sprig of thulsi :D

I find this pulissery to be an apt combo with the Kerala brown rice, fish fry, achar, and a thoran that can be relished anytime :D :D 

Pulissery

One of the first things I learned to make as I started on with my culinery journey was the pulissery or kaachiya mor... :-)

Taste is important for me... Meaning the pulissery I make should taste like the pulissery I am used to :D There are a lot of ways to make this. With different ingredients come difference in taste...

First I will describe here the simplest and easiest pulissery I have made. It's simple, tasty and can be made anytime ;-)

What I used

1. Nicely beaten curd with no lumps: 500 ml
2. Crushed garlic cloves: 8-10
3. Curry leaves: a sprig ( 5-6 leaves)
4. Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
5. Kashmiri chili powder: 1/4 teaspoon
6. Green chili: 1-2 sliced longitudinally
7. Dry red chili: 2
8. Salt: to taste
9. Oil: 2-3 tablespoons
10. Mustard seeds: 1/2 teaspoon 

How I made it

1. Heat the pan in which you want to make the pulissery
2. Once the pan is hot, add the oil
3. You can be sure the oil is hot enough when you see fumes rising. Then splutter the mustard seeds and add the curry leaves
4. Quickly add the crushed garlic and the dry red chili till you can smell the aroma of garlic in the kitchen
   P.S: while taking in the glory of the garlicky aroma, ensure you don't get lost in it and burn the garlic... Burnt ingredients kill the dish and your appetite :P
5. Before the garlic starts to brown, add the tumeric and chili powders and saute well
6. Now, you can either add salt to the ingredients in the pan or you could mix the salt with the beaten curd
7. Next add the green chilies and beaten curd to the pan and mix well
8. If you like thinner consistency for the pulissery, add water till you get the desired form
9. Heat for a few min and turn off the heat. Ensure the contents don't boil!

I enjoy pulissery with brown rice, brown payar and fish fry :D :D
You can have it with anything you desire, though I recommend brown rice ;-)