Menaskai

Menaskai

Menaskai

Veg Vegan

Coastal Karnataka sweet-sour-spicy vegetable curry — seasonal vegetables (raw mango, raw jackfruit, breadfruit, or ash gourd) cooked in a freshly ground masala of roasted dried red chilli, coriander seeds, black pepper, and freshly grated coconut combined with tamarind for sourness and jaggery for sweetness, producing a thick, dark-coloured, three-dimensional curry where all five tastes are simultaneously present. The balance of all three — sour, sweet, and spicy — is the menaskai's defining characteristic and the marker of a skilled cook: too much tamarind makes it sour, too much jaggery makes it cloying, too little chilli makes it flat. No onion or garlic in the Brahmin version; the coconut and spice combination provides all the body and flavour. A specifically coastal Karnataka Brahmin preparation almost unknown outside this region.

Cuisines

Mangalorean Udupi Coorgi Saraswat

Best for

Lunch Dinner

Build a full meal around Menaskai

Get a matched combo of sides and accents

Recipe

Prep: 15 min Cook: 30 min Total: 45 min 2-3 servings

Ingredients

Pineapple 1 cup Pineapple , chopped
Coconut 1 cup Coconut , grated
Red Chili 4 Red Chili , dried
Mustard Seed 1 teaspoon Mustard Seed , for tempering
Fenugreek Seed 1 teaspoon Fenugreek Seed
Sesame Seed 1 teaspoon Sesame Seed
turmeric powder 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
Tamarind 1 tablespoon Tamarind , pulp
jaggery 2 tablespoons Jaggery
coconut oil 2 tablespoons Coconut oil
salt — Salt , to taste
urad dal 1 teaspoon Urad dal
asafoetida 1 pinch Asafoetida
Curry Leaf 1 sprig Curry Leaf

Instructions

  1. 1 Heat a pan and dry roast the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, sesame seeds, and dried red chilies until aromatic. Let them cool.
  2. 2 Grind the roasted spices with grated coconut and turmeric powder to a smooth paste, adding a little water as needed.
  3. 3 In a pan, heat coconut oil and add mustard seeds for tempering. Once they splutter, add urad dal, asafoetida, and curry leaves.
  4. 4 Add the chopped pineapple to the pan and sauté for a few minutes.
  5. 5 Mix in the ground paste, tamarind pulp, and jaggery. Add salt to taste.
  6. 6 Cook on low flame until the pineapple is tender and the flavors meld together, about 15-20 minutes.
  7. 7 Adjust the consistency with water if needed and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Tips

Menaskai tastes better the next day as the flavors develop. Adjust the sweetness and tanginess to your preference.