This Kerala pineapple pulissery is a sweet, sour and mildly spicy curry in which succulent pineapple chunks are cooked in a coconut and yogurt based sauce. The pineapple soaks up the flavors of the sauce really well and lends its sweetness to the curry, making this an absolute treat.
Watch the step by step tutorial on how to make this Kerala pineapple pulissery here.
What is pulissery?
Pulissery is a curry commonly made in the state of Kerala, India. It is usually made using a variety of fruits or vegetables simmered in a coconut curry paste to which either whisked yogurt or thick buttermilk is added towards the end.
The coconut curry paste imparts a creamy and spicy flavor to the curry while the yogurt/buttermilk adds sourness, making this a very unique and delicious curry.
Kerala pineapple pulissery
The addition of sweet & succulent pineapple chunks to this curry means that the curry gets perfumed with the floral aroma and natural sweetness of the pineapple and hits all the elements of a perfect dish - sweet, sour, spicy & salty. I love how the pineapple is the perfect sponge in this recipe and soaks up the flavors of this curry.
Substitutions for this pulissery recipe
This curry recipe is incredibly versatile and you could use a variety of fruits or vegetables instead of pineapple.
If you want to use a different fruit, mangoes would go incredible well here. Most stone fruit like peaches, nectarines, plums or apricots would also work really well in this recipe.
If you would rather use vegetables, gourds, squash's and pumpkins work really well in this recipe. Follow the same instructions and quantities as below and just substitute the pineapple with any of these options.
I used fresh (frozen) coconut in the recipe and it works really well here. If you don't have or can't find fresh (non dried) coconut, here are some alternatives:
- Replace it with ¾ cup desiccated coconut that has been soaked in ½ cup of hot water for about 30 minutes before using. The hot water should help re-hydrate the coconut and help blend it into a smooth paste.
- While making the curry paste, replace the coconut with 1 can (400ml) of coconut milk. Don't use any additional water while making the curry paste. Also replace the additional 1 cup of water in the curry with only about ¼-1/2 cup depending on how thick you want your curry.
Pan fried spicy eggplant
I served this delicious Kerala pineapple pulissery with some steaming basmati rice, pan fried spicy eggplant and some papad for crunch.
The spicy eggplant was the perfect accompaniment to this sweet and tangy curry! Here's how you make the pan fried spicy eggplant:
Cut the eggplants into ½ inch thick slices. Coat them generously with some salt, kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala powder. Pan fry them in 2 teaspoons of oil on medium heat flipping occasionally until they turn soft and tender.
More recipes to try out
If you like creamy and spicy curries, you might also like my creamy cashew egg curry recipe.
If you are looking for more veggie recipes, check out my curry roasted cauliflower and beautiful vegetable ratatouille recipes that you are sure to love.
Please leave a comment below to let me know what you think and subscribe to my social media if you would like to see more easy and delicious recipes.
Watch the step by step tutorial on how to make this Kerala pineapple pulissery here.
Pineapple coconut curry (Kerala pineapple pulissery)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups pineapple cut into 1" chunks
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 3 spicy green chilies (Thai green peppers) slit down the middle lengthwise
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon jaggery powder or brown sugar
- 1 cup yogurt whisked until smooth
- kosher salt to taste
For the coconut curry paste:
- 1 cup grated/shredded fresh coconut I used frozen coconut. See notes for replacements.
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 garlic clove
- ⅛ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ cup water
For the tempering/tadka:
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or any other oil of your choice
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 dried red chili
- 10 curry leaves
Instructions
For the pineapple curry:
- Into a heavy bottomed pot, add in the pineapple, ½ cup water, kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder and slit green chillies and set this mixture on medium high flame until it comes up to a boil. Reduce the flame to low and let the mixture simmer for 7-8 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, blend all the ingredients under the curry paste section to a very fine paste. If you don't have fresh coconut, see notes.
- Add the finely ground coconut paste along with an additional 1 cup of water to the simmering pineapple mixture and continue simmering the curry for another 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, season the curry with salt and 1 teaspoon of jaggery/brown sugar powder and mix well. Turn off the heat and let the curry cool for about 20 minutes.
- When the curry has cooled down for about 20 minutes, add in the whisked yogurt and mix well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
For the tempering:
- Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a small pan on medium high heat. When it gets, hot add in the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, turn the heat to low and then add in the the cumin seeds, curry leaves and dried red chilli. Mix everything together and toast the spices for only about 30 seconds being careful not to burn them. Turn off the heat.
- Pour this tempering mix over the pineapple curry and mix it well right before serving.
Notes
- Replace it with ¾ cup desiccated coconut that has been soaked in ½ cup of hot water for about 30 minutes before using. The hot water should help re-hydrate the coconut and help blend it into a smooth paste.
- While making the curry paste, replace the coconut with 1 can (400ml) of coconut milk. Don't use any additional water while making the curry paste. Also replace the additional 1 cup of water in the curry with only about ¼-1/2 cup depending on how thick you want your curry.
Val says
I plan to make this for a family brunch soon! Never thought pineapples could be used in this way! Seems like a game changer ! Thanks!
Viola says
That's awesome! I'd love to know how it turns out.. we love it around here ❤