Stewed Pineapple with Raisins and Chiles

I was thinking about my new curry book. That I love. And I decided I would give you another sampling from it to show you some of the diversity of this book. Today's recipe is for Anaras Ambol. It's pretty much a spicy sweet tart chutney. And it's DELICIOUS! It's also made from ingredients found in pretty much any small town grocery store and is a snap to put together. Whoopee!

I was going to follow a suggestion of Mr. Iyer and put it on a fillet of salmon, except the last meal I cooked at home was salmon. As salmon don't run in Ohio, I don't really have a freezer full of it. So I put it on some very simple baked chicken and white rice. It's zingy. It's flavorful. As the little Japanese actress on the original Iron Chef used to say, "It's like a party in my mouth. hee hee hee hee hee." You couldn't beat the commentary on the original Iron Chef.
This would be fantastic on vanilla ice cream too!

Since I did most of the dishes while the chutney, rice and chicken were all cooking all I've got left to do is to give you the recipe and then it's back to the couch with my leg up in the air. I had a small setback in therapy today because over the weekend Wilma the Knee has swollen to breathtaking proportions and I'm on couch rest and ice again. Ugh. Oh well. It's cold and rainy outside anyway.

Stewed Pineapple with Raisins and Chiles (Anaras Ambol)
from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
1/2 cup golden raisins
6 to 8 dried red chiles, to taste, stems removed
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover the pan and cook until the seeds have stopped popping (not unlike popcorn), about 30 seconds. Add the pineapple, raisins, and chiles. Reduce the heat to medium and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the raisins are plump and the pineapple is lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring so it melts, 2 to 4 minutes. Pour in 1 cup water, and sprinkle in the salt. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce turns soupy-thick, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Reheat to warm it before serving.