Menaskai with Pineapple, Bitter gourd or Mangoes

• 1

  Peel the outer skin of pineapple and dice them into 1 cm squares.

• 2

  Cook them with 1 1/2 cups of water, tamarind and salt to taste.

• 3

  Cook pineapple till it becomes soft in medium flame.

• 4

  In a mean while, take a pan and dry roast sesame till it turns golden and keep it aside.

• 5

  Take a tbsp of oil and sauté broken red chilli and grated coconut till it turns golden.

• 6

  Grind this coconut, red chilli and sesame to smooth paste adding little water.

• 7

  Add this ground paste to cooked pineapple and mix well.

• 8

  Cook this in a medium flame till the gravy starts to boil.

• 9

  Season it with mustard, curry leaves.

• 10

  Reduce the flame and cook for further 4-5 minutes till gravy starts thickening.

• 11

  Season it with broken red chillies.

• 12

  Serve hot with rice and enjoy.

Tips:

• 1

  You can substitute pineapple with bitter gourd or medium ripe mangoes also.

• 2

  If you are making bitter gourd menaskai, increase the amount of tamarind to lime sized balls to tamper its bitterness.

• 3

  Adjust the sweetness and spiciness according to your taste.