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