Pineapple ~ Cucumber Raita / Avanasa ~ Tauvshe’ Salad.

“Pineapple ~ Cucumber Raita / Avanasa ~ Tauvshe’ Salad” … A yummy khatta meetHa teekHa raita / salad with the addition of curds that goes very well with pulav, biryani, khichidi, bisi bele baath, masala baath or any other spicy rice … Many a times we prepare this raita either with cucumber or pineapple separately, today I just thought why not add them together and it was excellent … Both Pineapple (Avanasa) and Cucumber (Khakdi) are very good for health while Curds needs no intro regarding health benefits ... So just go ahead and try this for a change ... Yummy Yumz …....

** Raitas are an accompaniment to lunch / dinner with other spicy dishes. Whenever I prepare Biryani or spicy pulavs, Raita is a must in my home. We love having spicy rice dishes with raita rather than curries. My hubby loves raita with roti too. The curd based salad goes very well with many a dishes. Raita should always be served fresh. Once the beaten curd is added to the cut vegetables / fruits, it should be mixed, tempered and served within an hour at maximum period. Once the veggies are added to the curds it tends to turn sour / limp sometimes leaves water too. Salt also should be added towards the end. 

** All said and done Raita is a common dish in my home all round the year specially summer time. I always prepare curds in bulk and store in fridge, so that I can prepare raita, curd rice or other curd dishes without having to worry to go to store to buy the same. I have hardly bought store curds except when I come back from holidays and I need them as culture for preparing curds again. I have already written in my blog about the preparation method of curds. You may check on the same. Do include curds in any form in your daily diet as they are very good for health and for the stomach. 

** This particular raita has cucumber and pineapple mixed together with thick sweet curds. Many a times we prepare cucumber and pineapple raitas separately. Today I just added them together and tried a new variation. It was yummy the cucumber crunch and the pineapple softness made the munching part totally a new feeling. There is absolutely no need to cook the pineapples here as it is a fruit and a edible one. In southern parts of India, many have the habit of cooking the pineapple when adding to cooked masala dishes. For some dishes like sasam we do follow it, but here there is absolute no need to do the same. I will not run into the details of health benefits of pineapple, cucumber and curds much as I am sure all of you know about it and I have written about it many a times. So will just add on the recipe. Do try this out and let me know via email. 

** Recipe for preparation of Pineapple ~ Cucumber Raita is simple : 

** Just peel off the skin of 2 large sized cucumbers. Slice off the side edges and discard them. Now cut it into medium sized pieces. The shape and size of the cuts is upto each individual. I cut them lengthwise into 6 pieces and then into small bite sized pieces. Put them in a wide stainless steel bowl.

** Slice off the thick coarse skin part of the pineapple, and the eye’s that are prominent on the outside sweet flesh of the fruit. Cut them into two both vertically and horizontally. Now cut off the inner core part that is very hard and keep it aside. You can use it while preparing pineapple juice. And then chop the pineapple into pieces. Again the shape and size of the cuts is upto each individual. I cut them lengthwise into 8 pieces and then into small bite sized pieces. In all you should get about 3-4 cups of chopped pieces for 2 large sized cucumbers. Put them into the stainless steel bowl along with the cucumber pieces.

** Add 1 cup of thick beaten curds / dahi / yogurt / mosaru, salt to taste, 1 tsp of powder sugar in a small bowl and mix well. Add this to the cucumber and pineapple pieces along with 5-6 green chillies (plus or minus as per individual liking) cut into small pieces. Now mix all the ingredients in the bowl well. 

** Note : Once again the addition of curds is upto individual liking. Some like to have it more sort of gravy way which some like it just coated to the ingredients. So if you like more you can beat and add in some more curds, but do check the level of seasoning and make sure it is increased too. 

** If the raita is too thick you can add some boiled and cooled water and mix it well. However, do not make the raita too thin, as raitas should always be thick. Also once the pineapple and cucumber is added it leaves in some water, so check just before serving and add only if absolutely necessary just before serving.

** Note : For pineapple raita we usually to not temper / season as it tastes better this way. But you may add some finely chopped coriander leaves, I have not as I ran out of stock. 

** “Pineapple ~ Cucumber Raita / Avanas ~ Thaushe’ Salad” is now ready to be served as an accompaniment along with any dish of your choice. Just sprinkle some red chilly powder as a garnish before serving the same. If at all you have prepared this before hand, do put it in the fridge to avoid the dish going sour. You can prepare this a few hours before serving too and put it in fridge and serve later on. In which case just remove the raita about 20 minutes before serving time from the fridge and keep it aside to loose coolness a little bit. An easy and quick recipe which will be loved by people who love a little bit of sourness in dishes.