Sunday Special: Pineapple Fiesta!

CELEBRITY MASTER CHEF DR KAVIRAJ KHIALANI

Pineapple is a popular tropical plant with an edible fruit indigenous to south America where It has been found since many centuries now. Hawaii has been a popular cultivator of pineapples for America. It is also popular with Philippines which accounts nearly one third of the world’s production of pineapples. It is known to be an herbaceous perennial with short stocky stem with tough waxy leaves.

While the flesh and juice of pineapple both have been found and are known to be useful in a number of ways in our food and beverage department from being eaten to being stirred and shaken into mocktails and cocktails from a live pineapple flambe with rum and raisin sauce to the classic pineapple upside down cake, the Pina colada drink it has a number of health benefits and culinary uses.

Here are 10 health benefits of Pineapple

Pineapple is good for the bone health and also good for the teeth and gums.
Pineapple is beneficial for the eyes and also reduces hypertension.
Pineapple is a good immunity boosting fruit and must be included in our diets.
Pineapple is also helpful to treat sinus and common cold issues.
Pineapple has anti-inflammatory benefits and also aids digestion.
Pineapple is a good source of Vitamin –C & also helps with constipation issues as well.
Pineapple is helpful with gout and also promotes natural de-toxification.
Pineapple helps with high blood pressure and nausea too.
Pineapple is recommended for low calorie diets and weight loss
Pineapple relieves morning sickness and offers a glowing skin.

Culinary uses of pineapple

Pineapple has been a very dear and perfect blend of sweet and sour flavor and has found its place onto a fruit salad plate since a long time now, we also use it to make health drinks, shakes, curries, subzis, smoothies and even pineapple ka jal jeera as well.
A popular ingredient when it comes to the canning and processing industry as well we have been seeing it in pineapple tins, pineapple juice, pineapple jams, marmalades and jellies as well.
Pineapple is great to go into a salsa as well to be enjoyed in various Mexican recipes like with nachos, inside tacos, with enchiladas, and burritos, it’s a great filling for empanadas as well.
Asian cuisines have been using pineapple in a number of ways from stir fry dishes, to grills, to barbeques, pineapple also features in a live counter cooking concept too like the teppanyaki and teriyaki from Japanese cuisine.
Breakfast pancakes to waffles, from detox drinks to chilled sorbets, from sherbets to soufflé pineapple has many forms and textures to convert itself and be a delight on our tables and shelves.
Pineapple goes well into pies, puddings, tarts, cupcakes, muffins, and decorative cakes and pastries too. We usually prefer the tinned or canned varieties in bakery pastry. Caramelized pineapples as well can be used in bakery products for a better flavor and color.

Here are a few recipes with Pineapple

HUA HA HIN FRIED RICE

Ingredients

Fresh pineapple- 1 cup cubes

Boiled white/brown rice- 2 cups

Oil- 2 tsp

Lemon grass- 4-5 pieces

Garlic- 2 tsp sliced

Spring onions- 3-4 sliced

Ginger- 1 tsp shredded

Slit red and green chilies- 2 each

Carrots-1/4 cup small cubes

Red capsicum-1/2 no cubes

Green capsicum-1/2 no cubes

Salt and pepper to taste

White vinegar-1 tsp

Grain sugar-1/2 tsp

Schezuan sauce- 1 tbsp.

Tomato ketchup-2 tsp

Water-1/4 cup

Boiled American corn- ½ cup

Spring onion greens- ¼ cup chopped for garnish.

Method

Prepare all the ingredients for the fried rice.
Heat oil in a pan add in the chilies, onions, ginger, garlic and saute for 1 min.
Add in the veggies of your choice with capsicums, corn and give it a nice saute for 2 mins.
Add in the pineapple cubes, seasonings, sauces and little water and allow to cook for 2-3 mins.
Now add in the boiled rice and give it a nice toss, add a little soy sauce if desired, a pinch of sugar and white vinegar and serve hot garnished with spring onion greens.

Non-veg variations: try adding marinated prawns, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled chicken cubes, roast sliced meat, sliced sausages etc.

CHIN – CHIN – CHU SKEWERS

Ingredients

Fresh pineapple cubes- 2 cups

Paneer- 2 cups cubes

For the marination:

Oil/ olive oil- 2 tbsp.

Salt and crushed black pepper to taste

Roasted cumin powder -1 tsp

Turmeric powder- ½ tsp

Chili flakes- 1 tsp

Mixed herbs-1/2 tsp

Coriander powder-1/2 tsp

Thick hung curd-1/2 cup

Lime juice- 2 tbsp.

Chat masala- ½ tsp

Skewers/ sticks-10-12 no.

Mustard paste-1 tsp

Honey- 1 tsp

Chopped green chilies- 1 tsp

Ginger paste-1 tsp

As an option mexican peri peri spice mix can be used as well.

Method

Prepare all the ingredients for the skewers.
In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the marination, divide the mixture into two.
Now add in the pineapple cubes into first half of the marination and mix well and keep chilled for 20 mins.
To the second half of the marination add in the paneer cubes and mix well, chill for 20 mins.
Assemble the pineapple and paneer or tofu/chicken cubes on to the satay sticks or skewers and heat up a grill pan or griller and grease it well.
Arrange the skewers on the hot grill and allow to get the grill marks for a couple of mins on each side and lightly brush with the marination while it is being cooked, serve hot with dips and sauces of your choice.

Non-veg variations: try the same recipe with medium sized prawns and pineapple, chicken sausages with pineapple, boiled baby potatoes and pineapple cubes, tofu, tempeh etc.

PINEAPPLE POT MEAL

Ingredients

Fresh pineapple- 2 cups cubed

Chicken cubes / soy chunks- 1 cup

Assorted cubes of red/green/yellow capsicums- 1 cup

Mushrooms-1 cup cut 1 x 4

Oil- 1 tbsp.

Butter- 1 tsp

Cooked white/brown rice- 2 cups

Chili flakes-1 tsp

Mixed herbs- 1 tsp

Tomato sauce- ¼ cup

Water/ veg/chicken stock- 2 cups

Soy sauce- 2 tsp

Schezuan sauce- 2 tsp

White vinegar- 1 tsp

Roasted crushed peanuts- 2 – 3 tbsp.

Salt and pepper to taste

Spring onion greens- 2 tbsp. chopped

Fresh basil leaves -8 -10 no

Corn flour – 2 tsp plus 4 tsp cold water to be mixed.

Method

Prepare all the ingredients for the fried rice recipe.
Heat oil and butter in a pan, add in the ingredients one by one and give them a nice toss.
Add in the pineapple cubes, vegetables of your choice or chicken cubes/paneer cubes /tofu and saute on high for 1 min, reduce the flame add little water or stock and the seasonings and sauces. Cover and allow to cook for 4-5 mins, add corn flour water solution thicken slightly and cook for 2-3 mins more.
Add in the rice and toss it well, allow to cook for another 2-3 mins until it is all well mixed.
Garnish with fresh herbs, crushed peanuts and spring onion greens.
Portion the rice and pineapple mixture into a scooped out pineapple boat and serve it hot.

Non-veg variations: try adding shredded chicken, cleaned prawns or shrimps, sliced roast meat or even shredded double fried egg into the rice for a change.

INSALATA ANANASA

Ingredients

For the body of the salad

Fresh pineapple cubes- 2 cups

Boiled chickpeas- 1 cup

Tomato dices- ¼ cup

Shallots- 3-4 sliced

Cucumber- 1 small diced.

For the base of the salad

Assorted lettuce leaves- 1 cup or shredded cabbage

For the dressing of the salad

Olive oil- 2 tsp

Tahini paste/white sesame seed paste- 2 tsp

Lime juice- 2 tbsp.

Flax seeds/ sunflower seeds- 2 tsp

Mint leaves- 2 tbsp.

Garlic- 1 tsp chopped

Ginger juice- 2 tsp

Honey-1 tbsp.

Mustard paste-1 tsp

Fresh orange segments- 2-3 tbsp.

For the garnish of the salad

Olives/ gherkins/ cherry tomatoes/ coriander/ micro-greens

Method

Prepare all the ingredients for the salad.
In a mixing bowl combine together ingredients for the dressing and mix well.
Toss the body of the salad with the dressing just before serving the salad.
Assemble the base on a serving salad plate and place the tossed salad and garnish it appropriately and serve.

Non-veg variations: try adding boiled chicken cubes, boiled cubed eggs, sliced chicken sausages, shredded ham or salami, saute or boiled prawns.

TROPICAL PINEAPPLE PUDDING

Ingredients

Fresh pineapple- 2 cups cut into small pieces

Sponge cake crumbs- 2 cups- eggless can be used as well.

Vanilla flavored custard- 2 cups chilled

Assorted chopped nuts- 2 tbsp.

Sliced cherries- 2 tbsp.

Crushed or crumbled up biscuits/chocolate cookies- ½ cup

Fresh tender coconut malai-1/2 cup sliced.

Rabdi-1 cup or whipped sweetened cream can be used.

Method

Prepare all ingredients for the dessert.
In a serving dish or bowls create a base of the custard, add in a few cubes of pineapple, cake crumbs and nuts, cherries etc and top with some rabdi and crushed cookies/biscuits.
Repeat the layers and add the tender coconut as well in the layers, add in the nuts and cherries and allow to chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours and then serve chilled.

Variations for the sweet

Try adding crumbled up moti choor ladoo as well into this sweet, chocolate walnut brownie can also be used, also add crushed praline or chikki, use soy milk for the custard and add date puree to make it sweet as well, also add other seasonal fruits to the pudding.

Celebrity Master Chef Dr Kaviraj Khialani is a Mumbai-based hotel-restaurant and food consultant. He is specialised in over 33 international cuisines and has quality experience with hotels and airlines as a part of his long journey of over two decades in his chosen field. Chef Kaviraj is a renowned author, academician, food designer, writer and has also been awarded several national awards and global recognitions for his talent & outstanding achievements. Besides having been featured on several food shows on ColorsTV and Star Plus he is a mentor, coach and guide to aspiring to be future chefs and hoteliers of tomorrow.

He can be contacted at twitter: @kaviraj_chef, Mobile: 91 9820939336. Mail: chefkaviraj249@gmail.com

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