my tokyo kitchen

This is a little recipe that you can use for a variety of things—alllmost anything you want to throw some pineapple onto—but I wanted to post it as a yummy condiment to go with the recipe I’ll be posting later this weekend: beef curry rice.

And before you get all bent out of shape about someone eating pineapple with Japanese curry, ya bromeliad hater you, I will first of all defend myself by stating that I got the idea from a Japanese curry place that I used to stop at whenever I was in Kansai—which offers pineapple, raisins, nuts, and other curiosities as sides to their curry—and second of all, in answer to the question you might already have in your head: yes, I am absolutely one of those assholes who puts pineapple on pizza.

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Ingredients:

• one can of pineapple rings (or fresh pineapple if you happen to have one lying around?)…I used a small can because that’s what I had in the cupboard, but whatever amount you choose, keep in mind that it’s going to shrink!
• rice vinegar or white vinegar as needed
• chili pepper flakes (semi~optional)
• a pinch of salt (optional)

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1. Remove pineapple rings from the can, draining the liquid into a mug or a glass. Enjoy drinking the pineapple juice while looking for a dish for the next step.

2. Place the pineapple slices in a single layer in a glass dish or on a plate with a lip. Feel free to push ‘em together like they love each other.

3. Drizzle rice vinegar or white vinegar over the pineapple so that it begins to well up in the dish. You do not need to cover them completely, but you do want some extra vinegar for soaking into the fruit / brutal weapon.

4. Sprinkle a small amount of salt over the pineapple, and then a pinch or two of chili pepper flakes (use your best judgment…you’re the one eating this! Personally, I like Aleppo pepper, as I find it softer and smokier than spicy). Allow the pineapple to sit in the mixture for 15 to 30 minutes, flipping occasionally, until the vinegar is mostly to all soaked up.

5. If you live somewhere with a proper oven, a good time to preheat it is while you’re waiting for the pineapple and vinegar to do its thing. If you live in Japan, and you have a tiny fan-forced oven, turn it on whenever. It’s going to do as it pleases no matter what. Either way, we’re going for roughly 180°C / 376°F here.

4. Lay the pineapple slices on a lined sheet pan (I called these cookie sheets before I went to a fancy cooking school!). I used a silicone mat, but feel free to use parchment paper if you like. I do not recommend using aluminum foil or an unlined pan, as it’s not only messy come clean-up time, but it can be difficult to prize the cooked pineapple from the pan…though it’s a condiment, so honestly, it doesn’t matter much if it gets ripped asunder.

5. Pop the pineapple into the oven, and allow it to cook until it becomes a nice golden brown to deep amber across most of the top. Then, carefully flip the pineapple, return it to the oven, and do the same thing again for the other side. How long does this take? I don’t know! Every oven is different, and the level of caramelization you like probably isn’t the same as mine (though it does have a better texture and nicely chewy flavor if you let it get fairly dark), but my pineapple began to caramelize after about 20 minutes, and then I set a timer for five minute intervals, checking it each time the beeping drove me bonkers, until I decided it was a good time to flip. Then I did the same things for the second side.

6. Et voilà! Bam です. You now have roasted ~ pickled pineapple. Pleeease let it cool a bit before sampling it, and then cut or rip the pineapple into pieces the size of your choosing. In my case, I planned to eat it with curry and to save some for pizza the next day, so I made small, bite-sized chunks, but you do you.

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That’s all there is to it! Is it too sweet or not sour enough? You can add a splash more vinegar or a sprinkling of sugar (cane sugar or demerara is nice, but most anything works) before use, and just let it set on the counter a bit longer. Then, next time you make it, you know to add more or less vinegar, depending upon your tastes.

Note! I’ve had a few people making this recipe and reporting that they don’t think it came out right…but it sounded perfectly fine to me? The end result should be a bit chewy, but not completely dehydrated. Ultimately, though, you should like it! If you find it to be too dark or too dried out, don’t make it like that next time!

Variations: you can also add a small amount of ginger or black pepper (or sriracha!) to the initial marinade if you want. Have fun! Try some weird shit, and see how you like it! That’s how we learn! And if you do make this recipe, please let me know how it turned out & what you thought!