Ananas menaskai - Pineapple gojju recipe

Karnataka pineapple curry - sweet and sour gravy

Quick ananas menaskai or pineapple gojju recipe is a Karnataka curry recipe.

Ananas gojju is a special favorite addition to a wedding feast in Karnataka.

Pineapple gojju is a yummy accompaniment for any meal, breakfast or lunch or dinner.

Pineapple gojju - ananas menaskai - Karnataka curry

Pineapple gojju is a treat to serve with plain rice as well as breads such as akki rotti, chapati, ragi rotti, poori, dosa etc. during lunch or any other meal.

Usually a ripe sweet pineapple is used but you may use a sour pineapple too. You will need to adjust the quantity of jaggery to balance the sourness of the pineapple.

How to make pineapple gojju - karnataka curry

Ingredients for pineapple gojju - ananas curry in sweet and sour gravy

Ripe pineapple, finely chopped - 1 cup
Jaggery - 3-4 tbsp, depending on the sourness of pineapple
Salt -1 tsp or according to taste
Rasam powder - 2 tbsp, more or less according to taste.
Fresh grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Water - 1/2 to 1 cup (according to the consistency needed
Tamarind pulp/juice - 1 tsp or as needed

Optional ingredients

Karnataka chutney pudi / dal chutney powder or sambar powder - 1 tbsp

Tempering ingredients

Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard/rai seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin/jeera seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafetida/hing - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp

Step by step instructions for making pineapple gojju - ananas curry

1. First, to make the tempering, add oil to a pan and heat on medium heat.

Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafetida. Let the seeds splutter.

Add turmeric/haldi powder to the pan. Add urad dal and fry for a few seconds.

Mix the tempering ingredients.

Add the chopped pineapple pieces. Mix with tempering and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add 1 cup water to ananas pieces and bring to boil. Cover and cook on medium flame for about 8-10 minutes or till pineapple is soft.

Add rasam powder, jaggery, salt in the pan.

Mix everything well with pineapple pieces.

Add water. I added 1 cup. Mix. Cook covered for about 10 minutes on low flame.

Stir once after 5 minutes or so. Add more water if you wish.

After about 10 minutes, pineapple pieces will change color when they are cooked. They will also become soft and will start to lose shape or to disintegrate. That is ok.

Add the karnataka chutneypudi or sambar powder now if adding. Add more water if needed and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Taste now and see if you need to add more jaggery or salt. You need to balance the sourness of pineapple and the sweetness of jaggery according to your taste. Add more water if you want thinner gravy.

If after 10 minutes, the pineapple pieces are not cooked, cook further till they are cooked soft.

You can see below how pineapple gojju/ ananas curry looks when it is ready to serve.

Tips and variations

Use only ripe pineapple.
Fresh grated coconut adds to taste. If fresh coconut is not available, you may use desiccated coconut.
Dal chutneypudi or sambar powder helps to get thick consistency.
You may use sugar instead of jaggery if you wish. I always use jaggery.