Anarosher Chutney - Pineapple Chutney

Happy New Year to all my friends, visitors and fellow bloggers. May the New Year be filled with
 
joys, laughter and happiness. May all you have your dreams coming true.

Last night of the last year I spent mostly sitting at home, reading books, taking rest and catching up

on the backlog episodes of 'Shaitan - A Criminal Mind.' In the evening yesterday, we headed to an

Ethiopian restaurant in Ann Arbor for dinner. I must say the feedback on Ethiopian dish as provided

by one of my hubby's colleagues truly helped us decide on the menu. Ethiopian cuisines are really

spectacular, bearing similarity with the way Rajasthani thali is served with small bowls containing

an assortment of items arranged on a huge platter and an unlimited supply of refill. The only

difference in serving the Ethiopian fare is that the foods instead of serving in containers are

arranged upon a bed of injeras overlapped on a huge tray. Injera is Ethiopian bread made from tef,

Ethiopian flour used in making a sourdough and then preparing pancakes which are baked

through steaming so that the end result turns out rubbery and sponge like in texture.

 

The taste and look of Ethiopian dishes come close to that of Indian dish. The meat preparations were

quite spicy albeit not as hot as ours are, but definitely divine in flavour. I would definitely reiterate

my visit again.

Ingredients:                                                Cooking time: 35-40 minutes ü  1 whole pineapple (peeled, cored and chopped into small size cubes) ü  1 tbsp ginger (minced) ü  2 tbsp raisins ü  1 tsp panchphoron ü  2-3 dry red chillies ü  1/4 cup sugar or more as per your craving ü  1/2 cup of water ü  Salt to taste ü  2 tbsp lemon juice ü  1 tbsp of mustard oil Bhaja Masala or Roasted Spices (for an extra zing): ü  1 mace blade ü  1/2 tsp fennel seeds ü  1/2 tsp cumin seeds ü  1/2 tsp peppercorns ü  3-4 cloves ü  1/2 inch long cinnamons stick ü  1 brown cardamom ü  1 dry red chilli  Method: 1) Heat mustard oil in a wok. When oil turns hot, add panchphoron and dry red chillies. As they begin to sputter, add sugar and water. Combine well and bring the mixture to a boil. 2) Add pineapple, ginger, salt, lemon juice and raisins. Cook covered on medium heat for 30-40 minutes till pineapple softens and the syrup thickens. 3) Dry roast the ingredients for bhaja masala and grind into powder. When pineapple chutney comes down to room temperature, add 1 tbsp of the bhaja masala and mix well. 4) Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. It will keep good for a fortnight.