Canned Pineapple Pachadi... From God's Own Country!

I need an easy way out with all recipes. Or I would not even venture trying them. If I can do away with the hour-long cutting and chopping required for one, I am the happiest person on earth! Not that I support packaged or frozen stuff. I do a fair share of cooking fresh vegetables, meat and fish, but when it comes to preparing a big feast and what I mean here is the typical Kerala feast, I want to take some easy ways out, somewhere.
Pachadi is a typical  Kerala dish that features in all grand feasts. It can be made with any vegetable, but the one made with Pineapples, stand apart. The sweetness, the sourness and the spicy-ness, all in balance.

This is an easy version to making Pineapple Pachadi using canned, cubed pineapples and doing away with the cutting and chopping of fresh ones. An easy way out for the modern woman!

INGREDIENTS:

Canned Pineapple (Cubed) – 1 tin of drained weight 300 grams

Turmeric powder – ¾ teaspoon

Red Chilli Powder – ½ teaspoon

Grated Jaggery – ½ tablespoon

Beaten Plain Yoghurt – ½ to ¾ cup (according to the sour-ness of the yoghurt, if it is less sour: add ¾ cup)

Grated Coconut – ½ cup

Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon

Green Chillies – 2

FOR THE TEMPERING:

Mustard Seeds – ½ teaspoon

Whole Dried Red Chillies – 3- 4

Curry Leaves – I sprig, separated

Oil – 1 tablespoon

METHOD:

Drain the pineapple pieces from the syrup and cut them further into thin pieces, roughly. Put them into a pan along with turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and 1 cup of water. Put them on medium flame and cook, covered, till the pineapple is almost done. Halfway through the cooking, add jaggery to it. Cook till the water is totally evaporated. With a potato masher, mash the pineapple pieces slightly, keeping some of them whole.  Keep aside.

Grind the grated coconut, mustard seeds and the green chillies into a very fine paste. Add this to the cooked pineapple and mix well. Add yoghurt to it and mix well. Check salt.

For the tempering, heat oil in a pan. Crackle the mustard seeds and add dried red chillies and curry leaves and immediately pour in to the pineapple mix. Stir and mix well. Serve with rice.

I am proud of the land I come from. Kerala. It is God's Own Country. I left the place 12 years back and each time I go back it is almost as if I have always been there. We celebrate our New Year on Sunday, the 14th of April. I wish all my readers a very Happy Vishu!

Lots of love and happiness:)