Savory Pineapple Stir-Fry

As already mentioned in my previous post, I love pineapples.  (When I was attending a Spanish-language school in Costa Rica, our chosen names were a combination of our favorite fruit + our favorite color.  That made me Piña Violeta, or “purple pineapple.”)  Most of the time, I cut up a fresh pineapple and eat it; sometimes I throw it into the blender with some coconut milk and bananas.  This pineapple around, though, I decided to include it in a stir-fry loosely based on Vietnamese and Thai flavors.  While I enjoyed the resulting savory mélange with pasta, it would also pair beautifully with brown rice, chicken, or pork. The tamarind is optional, but lends the dish a tangy/sweet flavor reminiscent of lemongrass. (I find that it’s easier to get my hands on fresh and plump tamarinds than fresh and zingy lemongrass.)

Savory Pineapple Stir-Fry
Serves 2 as is, or 4 with the addition of pasta, rice, chicken, or pork.

1 T. unrefined coconut or peanut oil
2 carrots, slivered
1/2 a yellow squash OR 1/2 a zucchini, slivered
4 oz. button mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, cut into thin rounds
Flesh of 1 fresh tamarind OR 1 T. tamarind paste (optional)
1 head of broccoli, florets only, simmered for 5 minutes and drained
1/4 of a fresh pineapple, chopped
1-2 T. tamari or soy sauce (if you’d like to make this dish gluten-free, use wheat-free tamari)
1 tsp. fish sauce
4-6 leaves mint, cut into ribbons
Juice of 1 lime

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add carrot and yellow squash and cook for about 3 minutes to soften them, then add mushrooms and tamarind and stir. Let cook for another 5 minutes or until the mushrooms have shrunk to about half their original size. Stir in cooked broccoli, chopped pineapple, tamari sauce, and fish sauce. (If you like your dishes salty, use the 2 full T. of tamari.) Let cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, to allow flavors to marry.

Remove from heat and stir in mint leaves and lime juice. Let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. If desired, toss with pasta, rice, cooked chicken, or cooked pork. (This is a great way to use up leftover cooked meat!) An additional sprig of mint and a wedge of lime would be nice garnishes.

Enjoy!

Tamarind-Lemon Mojito

An overlooked fact in the drink world:  cocktails (or mocktails) have seasons.  In the summertime, fruit-based drinks are light and refreshing; in the wintertime, hot toddies are much more appealing than an iced spritzer.  Now that summer is in full swing, I thought I’d use the classic mojito platform to come up with some new taste combinations.

This citrus-tamarind combo is sure to add a kick to any sultry summer evening…and it’s a lot more interesting to serve than the standard lime-and-mint version.  Just see if your guests can guess how you made it!

(Note:  if you can’t find fresh tamarinds, a splash of pomegranate molasses would be a good substitution.  The latter can generally be found in Middle Eastern markets or in the Middle Eastern section of a well-stocked grocery store.)

Prepare the tamarind by peeling off the hard outer skin and pulling off the long stringy fibers that run down its sides.  Place in standard-sized bowl (one you’d use for soup or cereal), then pour enough boiling water over it to cover it completely.  Let sit while you prepare the other ingredients.

Squeeze the juice from a wedge of lemon into a tall glass.  (You can discard the rind or place it into a nice cocktail glass.)  Add a few freshly-torn mint leaves and a squirt of raw agave nectar.  Smash everything together with a fork, pulling the fork along the sides of the glass to bruise the mint and release its flavor.

Go back to the tamarind and use the fork to smash the flesh free from the seeds.  Add to the lemon mixture and stir to combine.  Add a shot of rum if you’d like a cocktail or some sparkling mineral water for a mocktail.

Strain the lemon-tamarind mixture into the final cocktail glass.  Add another leaf or two of fresh mint for garnish, perhaps an ice cube or two, and enough sparkling water to fill the glass almost to the brim.  Give it one last stir and serve.

¡Salud!

Tamarind Pods

Despite its secondary name of “Indian date,” the tamarind is not a date. Nor is it native to India. It originated in tropical Africa, but due to the fact that it was adopted by the Indians with gusto when it reached their shores, when it boomeranged back west, the Persians assumed the Indians were the original cultivators of the fruit. As for the “date” misnomer, its sticky, dark-brown pulp has a texture very similar to true dates.

Tamarind trees have non-food uses as well–they’re encouraged to grow in tropical regions for their shade, and their sturdy wood is made into flooring and furniture. But their most prevalent use in the U.S. is found in one of our staple commercial sauces: Worcestershire. Tamarind is what gives Worcestershire its tangy, tongue-teasing edge. You may also find tamarinds in the form of juice in the Mexican-foods section, or as an ingredient in Asian marinades and curries.

I was lucky enough to find actual tamarinds at my local produce market. It’s a curious fruit–the pod is so brittle and dry that it cracks with the slightest pressure, and the sticky pulp inside houses several large, inedible seeds. Its flavor is lemony with a hint of apricot; it was just sour enough to be appealing and not so sour that it made my eyes squinch. In the interest of experimentation, I came up with a fairly simple way to enjoy its unique flavor: make an iced-tamarind drink. (I have a feeling that this would make a stunning cocktail if mixed with rum–unless your guests have Asian or Latino roots, nobody is going to guess your secret ingredient.)

Iced Tamarind Tea

• Remove the pod and the woody strings running along the length of the pulp.
• Place pulp in a heat-proof glass and pour just enough boiling water over it to cover it.  Add a bit of sucanat or agave nectar and let sit for about 10 minutes.
• Using a spoon, mash the pulp against the sides of the glass to free it from the seeds.
• Sieve juice into another glass.
• Plop in a few ice cubes and enjoy!