Kaithachakka Madhura Curry/ Pineapple Sweet Curry

This post is part of Onam and Sadya. The recipe below will be enough to serve 6 - 8 people for Sadya. Measurements are only approximate.

This is a sweet, tangy, spicy curry prepared with pineapple in a coconut based sauce with a touch of yoghurt. During sadya, the second course of Sambhar is usually finished off with madhura curry, which refreshes your
palate and transits you to the next course; a course of desserts which includes 2 - 5 payasams made with sugar or jaggery.

There are different styles of preparing madhura curry; one is where the pineapple is cooked well to be mashed up and resembles the consistency of jam and the other where you have chunks of pineapple mixed together with seedless black grapes and more resembles a pachadi. I've prepared the curry that resembles jam (which I think is Thiruvananthapuram style) and have used sugar for sweetness. You can substitute sugar with jaggery which will then give a brownish yellow colour to the curry.

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned pineapple chunks 
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 1 tsp Sugar/ Jaggery, to taste (depends on the sweetness of pineapple)

To grind

• 1/3 cup grated coconut
• 3 - 5 curry leaves
• 1 green chilly
• 1 small clove garlic
• 2 1/2 pinch cumin seeds
• 1 pinch of mustard seeds

To temper

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 sprig curry leaves

Method

1. Cook pineapple pieces with curry leaves, turmeric powder and salt in water. In the meantime, grind ingredients under 'to grind' to a smooth paste with very little water. When pineapple is cooked well, mash it and then add coconut paste and sugar or jaggery and bring to boil. Season to taste. Remember to adjust the sweetness to your taste. Remove from flame, add yoghurt and mix well.

2. In a pan heat oil, splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves and add to curry.