Fresh and tasty pineapple relish – tangy, sweet and spicy, it’s quick and easy to make, ready in a jiffy!
One of my long-time favorite pineapple dishes, it’s not easy to pin down which food category this relish belongs to. Is it a sauce? A chutney? A salsa? But hey… who really cares about the categories, anyway…. All that matters is that it is simply delicious!
Enjoy its delectable tongue-tickling flavor… With tortilla chips and other munchies, quesadillas, grilled vegetables… and grilled meats and seafood as well! You really can’t go wrong with whatever you decide to pair it with!
Fresh Pineapple… so very juicy, sweet and tart
Fresh pineapple… Ohh… the mere mention of this delightfully juicy, sweet and tart fruit conjures up so many images in my mind… I’ve loved it for as far back as I can remember…. And even just writing about it is making my mouth water!
A popular fruit all over India, you can often find folks standing around a fruit vendor’s cart, relishing a plate of freshly sliced fruit. The artistically cut-up fruits almost always include pineapple. Typically sprinkled with a bit of salt and fiery hot red chilli powder, they are as beautiful to look at as they are yummy to eat!
Pineapple, the Star of so many dishes: sweet, spicy and more
Of course, pineapple lovers abound all over the world… Besides enjoying the fresh fruit by itself, they turn it into a dizzying array of dishes. Everything I’ve ever had with pineapple as its “star” ingredient, I’ve loved…
My head is spinning with images of pineapple, all clamoring for space in my mind’s eye! A fresh and juicy fruit salad… piled atop fresh salad greens… simmered in a spicy Thai curry… added to fried rice… baked into fluffy cakes and muffins…. Oh, I could go on and on!
What’s in this pineapple relish?
So… What’s in this quick pineapple relish I’ve shared here? The sweet juicy fruit, pulsed with spicy green chilli peppers, forms the slightly chunky base of this delightfully lip-smacking relish… The other ingredients add color and flavor – specks of brightly colored sweet peppers, cilantro, maybe some green onions, a pinch of salt, a hint of sugar…. and a bit of lime/lemon juice adds a lovely citrusy tang.
Of course, each of these ingredients brings along its own bundle of health-supporting nutrients too….. and that’s like “double bonus”! Pineapple is loaded with lots of good stuff…. rich in fiber and a host of micronutrients – antioxidants, vitamins and minerals….
Antioxidants such as phenolics, flavonoids and vitamin C are believed to fight inflammation and free radicals in the body. They also boost immunity. This in turn, protects against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, etc.
Bromelain, a mix of enzymes found in pineapple, can reduce inflammation and nasal swelling… aid in the healing of wounds and burns… and also support digestive health.
A relish that looks and tastes great, and is good for you as well….. quite the double bonus, isn’t it?
More “fruit” recipes to try… Condiments, Salad, Fried Rice, Desserts…..
Looking for interesting “fruit”-containing recipes you’d like to try? Here are a few you might want to look into… many are my personal favorites.
- Black Beans and Apple Salad – hearty salad, a stand-alone dish, or pile it on nachos
- Golden Methambaa – tart, sweet and spicy relish, made with unripe, tart “green” mangoes
- Apricot “Duck” Sauce – tart, sweet and spicy dipping sauce, made with dried apricots
- Spiced Apple Treat – perfect for using up “over-the-hill” apples, in just 5 minutes!
- Pineapple Fried Rice – scrumptious & easy, with lots of veggies and brown rice
- Eggless Fruit Custard – fresh fruits served with gluten-free eggless custard
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins – thin slivers of orange peel make it extra special
- Sweet Banana Thalipith – cardamom and clove-infused, fluffy, vegan griddle-cooked flatbread
- Apple Crisp with Oats – easy gluten-free dessert, having it with ice-cream makes it extra-special
I hope you make some of these dishes…. and fall in love! Do leave reviews and star ratings… many thanks!
Special Diets
This quick and tasty pineapple relish is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free. It has no added fat and is low in overall calories and sodium, etc.
The next time you plan a party…. with friends and/or family, maybe you can make this quick and versatile relish with fresh Pineapple… It’s always been a hit whenever I’ve made it!
Make it, share it…. Please leave a review and star rating… thanks a bunch!
Enjoy!
Quick Pineapple Relish: Tasty and Easy to Make
Equipment
- Food Processor/Chopper If not available, see Recipe Notes for alternative ways to make this relish.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup Fresh pineapple – cut into chunks (about 225 g) remove the fibrous core: see Recipe Notes for how to use this core
- 2 tbsp Sweet Mini Pepper (Red)- finely chopped 1 small mini pepper; if not available, use sweet red bell pepper instead, OK to omit but know that the flavor and color will be different
- 1/2 tsp Serrano pepper- finely chopped adjust as per spiciness preferred
- 1 tbsp Green onions – green tops, sliced thin (optional)
- 1/2 tsp Sugar or Honey Dark honey will change the color a little; same reason why I do not recommend using brown sugar or jaggery
- 1/4 tsp Salt adjust as per preference
- 1 tsp Lime / lemon juice – freshly squeezed preferred if not available, OK to use bottled juice
- 2 tbsp Cilantro – trimmed, rinsed and finely chopped if not available, OK to omit – may use dried parsley for a bit of color – but not too much – I do not recommend using fresh parsley
Instructions
- Prep the pineapple: Use a sturdy knife to first slice off the crown, then slice the pineapple into rings, about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick. Cut the rings in half to make half-moon pieces. use a paring knife to carefully remove the thick and poky skin – be sure to remove any "eyes" remaining on the surface of the peeled pieces.Slice each half-moon piece into small-medium bite-sized chunks, slicing off the fibrous core at the center of each slice. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the cut-up pineapple chunks in 2 separate portions: 1 cup portion + 1/2 cup portion
- Chop the chunks in the 1/2 cup portion into smaller pieces.
- Slit one sweet red mini pepper lengthwise- stem to toe; remove the few seeds, cut each half into thin long strips, then cut sideways to dice finely. Measure 2 tbsp after dicing. Finely dice the Serrano pepper too – need about 1/4 of a small-medium pepper. Measure 1/2 tsp after dicing.
- Trim and thoroughly rinse the cilantro. Spread on a towel to wick away the water stuck to the leaves before chopping. Note: Adding dripping wet cilantro to this relish will make it watery, so it is best to towel-dry the washed cilantro before chopping.
- Use a smooth sharp knife to chop the towel-dried cilantro. A serrated knife leaves bruised and jagged edges on the delicate cilantro leaves – that's not attractive!
- Add the 1 cup portion of pineapple chunks to the chopper/food processor bowl. Pulse-chop till fairly smooth. Do NOT add any water: the relish will become too watery!Note:If chopper/food processor is not available, see Recipe Notes for alternate directions.
- Add the diced peppers: sweet red and spicy green.
- Add the 1/2 cup portion of finely diced pineapple
- Pulse-chop a few times to get the texture you want.
- Transfer to a bowl and add cilantro, salt, sugar and lemon/lime juice.
- Stir it all in and it's ready to serve!
- Use as a side with Quesadillas – for dipping.
- Serve with tortillas, sour cream, pickled jalapenos…. and/or other munchies….
- Enjoy!
Notes
No electric chopper/food processor?
No worries… You can crush the pineapple using one of the following methods:Â- An electric blender/mixer
- Divide the mixture and pulse grind in small batches
- If you do the whole batch at one go, it might become too smooth or might get stuck
- do not add water if it gets stuck!
- simply remove a portion,
- pulse grind the smaller amount left in the blender jar
- transfer to a serving bowl
- repeat with the remaining portion(s) removed earlier.
- do not add water if it gets stuck!
- If you do the whole batch at one go, it might become too smooth or might get stuck
- Divide the mixture and pulse grind in small batches
- Manually-cranked chopper/nut crusher
- Transfer pineapple, Serrano pepper and sweet red mini-pepper into the manual chopper bowl
- Crank the handle to chop/crush the ingredients
- Transfer to serving bowl and stir in salt, sugar, cilantro and lime/lemon juice
- Serve!
- Mortar and pestle – chop all the pineapple finely if using this method, to make it easier to get the final texture you want.
- Place a colander over a bowl and strain the chopped pineapple
- Save the juice!
- Let it rest in the colander for 10-15 min to drain well.
- you might get up to 2-4 tbsp juice, depending on how juicy the pineapple is – save it – you will add it in later.
- straining the pineapple well makes it easier to pound the pieces without causing a lot of messy splatter.
- While waiting for the pineapple to drain its juices, crush the peppers
- Add the diced peppers to the mortar and gently pound until crushed.
- Use a circular grinding motion after pounding a few times to properly crush the peppers.
- Scrape it out with a small spoon
- Add the diced peppers to the mortar and gently pound until crushed.
- Transfer small amounts of the pineapple chunks into the mortar and pound gently with a pestle.
- use a spoon to periodically scrape it from the bottom and mix before you continue to pound it until it reaches the texture you like.
- Remove from the mortar, transfer to a medium mixing bowl and repeat with the next portion of pineapple.
- Repeat until it’s all done!
- Add the reserved juice (from straining the pineapple before crushing) to the crushed pineapple in the mixing bowl.
- Stir in salt, sugar, cilantro and lime/lemon juice
- Serve!
- Place a colander over a bowl and strain the chopped pineapple
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What to do with the fibrous pineapple core?
The center core of the pineapple is always tough and very fibrous. However, it it still has lots of juicy flavor. So, instead of immediately tossing away the core, perhaps you can first try to extract some juice from it. Here’s how to do that after you first cut it up into small-bite-sized pieces.- If you have a juicer: run it through and collect the juice; enjoy!
- If you don’t have a juicer, add it to your blender jar.
- Add water to just barely cover the pineapple core pieces
- Blend till smooth
- Add a little water if it gets stuck – about 1-2 tbsp as needed.
- strain with a fine mesh strainer –Â squeeze the fibrous pulp in your fists to extract a little more juice.
- Collect the juice; enjoy!
- The fibrous pulp: dispose in trash or dry it and add to compost bin. You can also add small amounts to potted plants or in flower/vegetable beds
- if it feels sticky and sweet, it’s better to rinse the pulp under running water (in the mesh strainer) to remove residual sugar before drying it.
Storing Leftovers
Transfer leftover relish in a glass/ceramic jar with a good lid. I do not recommend using a plastic jar. Store in refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing this relish – its texture upon thawing is not the best.- Consume refrigerated pineapple relish within 3-4 days.
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