Pineapple Gojju

Pineapple sweet-sour-spicy preparation — fresh ripe pineapple (or canned in off-season) cut into pieces and cooked in sesame oil with a dry masala of roasted chana dal, urad dal, sesame, and dried red chilli, tamarind water, jaggery, and mustard seeds until the pineapple softens and the sauce thickens to a chutney-like consistency. The pineapple's intense tropical sweetness and acidity interplay with the added tamarind and jaggery to produce the most complex of all gojju preparations — four clear flavours simultaneously present: sweet from jaggery and pineapple, sour from tamarind and pineapple acid, spicy from chilli, and bitter-nutty from the roasted dal masala. Considered a festive and special-occasion gojju; its preparation signals that extra effort is being made for the meal. Particularly served at Ugadi and Vishu (Kerala New Year) feasts as one of the seasonal condiments.