Pineapple Raita is a healthy and delicious side dish from India, prepared using fresh yogurt and sweet pineapple chunks. It is usually served with a main meal like pulao, biryani or parathas. This raita can be served as a dessert too.
WHAT IS PINEAPPLE RAITA?
It is a yogurt-based accompaniment that is served with a meal. It is prepared by adding diced pineapple pieces to yogurt along with onion, pomegranate and other spices.
I prefer my raita to be thick and creamy. Addition of sour cream enhances the flavor and texture of the yogurt making the raita creamier with a subtle hint of sourness. I also add dried mint leaves to give it an extra punch of flavor.
This raita must be prepared with sweet pineapple. I use a mix of canned and fresh ripe pineapple to make this raita.
HOW TO SERVE THIS RAITA?
Yogurt, also known as curd or dahi in India, is known to cool down the body. Hence it is a must have meal item in most of the homes in India.
While the use of yogurt in western countries has now been trending to due its high pro-biotic content, it has been an age-old meal item of every house-hold in India. As per Ayurveda, when used wisely, it can be an excellent home-remedy for many health conditions.
This Pineapple Raita is perfect for summers when you get the sweetest and the juiciest pineapples and the heat is on the rise due scorching sun. This raita goes well with any flavored rice like pulao or biryani. It can also be served with any traditional south Indian meal of rasam, sambhar, dal and rice too. It also pairs well with theplas, rotis or any spicy stuffed parathas. You could try this stuffed Broccoli Paratha recipe with this raita.
This mildly sweet and sour raita can be served as a dessert or as a snack too.
Notes:
- It is very important to use well ripe, sweet pineapple. Using little bit of the pineapple juice that oozes out while dicing them is OK, but adding a lot of it can ruin the consistency of the raita. This raita must be thick and creamy.
- If the pineapple is not sweet or is sour, I recommend soaking the pineapple pieces in little bit of sugar for a couple to hours to sweeten them.
- Raw and hard pineapple pieces will not be good for the raita.
- Adding sour cream is optional. However, if you are not using the sour cream, make sure the yogurt is thick – by thick I mean that when you spoon out some yogurt into a plate, it holds the shape and does not fall apart. I strongly recommend using is sour cream to give the tinge of sourness and adds to the creaminess.
- You can avoid using onions. However, I prefer using it makes a great combination with pineapple.
- This raita tastes the best when freshly made. However, it can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Ingredients
Thick Fresh Yogurt - 3 cups
Sour Cream - 1/3 cup
Sweet Pineapple, diced - 600gms
Red Onion - 1 small
Green Chili - 1
Sugar - 2 tablespoons
Black Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Green Chili Paste - 1 teaspoon
Cumin Powder - 2 teaspoons
Peppercorns, powdered - 1 teaspoon
Chaat Masala Powder - 1 teaspoon
Dried Mint Powder - 2 teaspoons
Coriander Leaves, chopped - 3 tablespoons
Pomegranate Arils - 1/3 cup
Instructions
- Finely chop onions and green chili.
- In a bowl, take yogurt, sour cream, sugar, black salt, salt, green chili paste, cumin powder, finely ground peppercorns and chaat masala. Whisk until it is well combined and creamy.
- Add finely diced pineapple, chopped onions, green chili, coriander leaves. Mix until well combined.
- Now add mint powder and pomegranate arils. Mix well.
- Pour into a serving bowl and serve with roti, paratha or flavored rice. This serves as a great dessert too.
