I love fresh pineapple, so much so that it (mostly) overcomes the need to peel it and remove the eyes before the juicy slices can be used. This year I have made two Madhura Pachadi dishes, both delicious. They are from Kerala. One has a little coconut but no yoghurt and is a little like a spicy halwa, and this one where the pineapple is cooked in a tamarind base. It also contains a little coconut. BTW there are many other versions of Madhura Pachadi, but we love these two.

Kerala has the best dishes, don’t you think? That is after Tamil Nadu of course.

Similar dishes include

Browse all of our Pachadi recipes, all of our Pineapple dishes,and all of our Keralite dishes. Or explore our Mid Summer recipes.

Madhura Pachadi | Kerala Pineapple Pachadi with Tamarind

ingredients

1 cup fresh pineapple, peeled and cubed

0.5 cup grated coconut

1 – 2 green chilli, chopped finely, or to taste

1 piece tamarind, soaked and pulp extracted, seeds and fibres discarded

0.5 tspn Indian red chilli powder, or to taste

0.5 tspn black pepper

1 tspn jaggery

sea salt, to taste

tadka

0.5 – 1 Tblspn ghee

1 tspn Indian brown mustard seeds

2 – 3 Indian dried red chillies, or to taste

8 – 10 curry leaves

method

Make 1 cup tamarind water by adding water to the extracted tamarind pulp.

Make a paste by grinding the grated coconut with the green chilli. Set aside.

In a kadhai, add the pineapple to that tamarind water and bring to the boil. Add the chilli powder, black pepper and sea salt and mix well. Add additional water to cover the pineapple as necessary, place a lid on the kadhai and simmer until the pineapple is really tender and the water is reduced.

Then add the coconut-chilli paste and stir well. Next add the jaggery and mix well again. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Now prepare the seasoning. Heat some oil in a pan add the mustard seeds and allow them to pop. Add the red chillies, and after a few moments, add the curry leaves. After the spluttering dies down, pour the tadka over the pachadi.

Serve hot or warm.