Delicious Ways to Cook With Pineapples

Loaded with vitamins & minerals, pineapples are tasty, sweet, tangy & delicious. A much loved tropical fruit, pineapples are high in vitamin C, low in sodium and an amazing fat-free snack. Though its hard to resist a freshly bought pineapple, cleaned & cut pieces of this fruit stay good in fridge for up to a couple of days.

There is so much you can do with pineapples apart from jams, smoothies, juices and cakes. Lets take a look at some delicious ways to cook with pineapples.

Pineapple Salsa

Enjoy nachos with this easy to make tangy pineapple salsa. In a bowl mix 1 cup chopped pineapple, 1 chopped tomato, diced peppers, one finely chopped onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well & serve with nachos or chips. 

Image Source - Jessica and Lon Binder - Creative Commons

Pineapple Sheera

To make pineapple sheera, heat 1 cup ghee in a heavy bottom pan, add 1 cup semolina, stirring continuously till it becomes light brown. Add 1 tsp saffron dissolved in milk, 1/2 cup pineapple chunks & cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup sugar & mix. Keep stirring till semolina is cooked thoroughly & serve garnished with cashew nuts.

Image Source - Charles Haynes - Creative Commons

Pineapple Gojju

A sweet, spicy and tangy curry popular in Karnataka, pineapple gojju is a festive dish. Made with freshly ground coconut & spices, its perfect with hot steamed rice or hot rotis.

To make this curry, dry roast 2 tbsp urad dal and 1/2 cup fresh/dry coconut till slightly browned. Set aside & in the same pan, roast couple of red chilies in little oil, cool & grind to a paste along with 1 tbsp of extracted tamarind juice. Add water if required. Splutter 1 tbsp mustard seeds in little oil in another pan & when they crackle, add handful of curry leaves. Add a cup of bite-sized ripened pineapple chunks and saute for 15 minutes. Add the ground paste along with 1/2 cup water, salt & jaggery to taste and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice. 

Pineapple Rasam

Hot, peppery rasam is very comforting. This recipe adds a punch to your regular bowl of rasam with chunky pineapple bits. 

Pressure cook 1/2 cup toor dal, with a pinch of turmeric powder. In a pan, take 1 cup of water and  add chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp rasam powder, one green chili slit in middle & 1/3 cup pineapple chunks. Add cooked toor dal after 10 minutes, followed by 1/4 cup fresh pineapple juice. Remove from flame once it starts boiling. Add a tadka of 1 tsp ghee, mustard seeds & curry leaves. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Image Source - Divya Kudua - Creative Commons

Pineapple Kheer

A delicious twist to regular kheer, this recipe will be loved by all. 

Soak 1/2 cup rice & boil till half done in water, strain & cool. Heat milk in a heavy bottomed pan & bring to a boil. Add cooled rice to boiling milk, reduce heat & stir occasionally, till rice is fully cooked. Add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup chopped pineapple, a few raisins, powdered cardamom & a few strands of saffron. Serve hot or cold garnished with almond slivers.

Image Source - Swayampurna - Creative Commons