Papaya Pineapple Chicken by Mama Khan

Papaya Pineapple Chicken is going to be my own weird concoction. Can someone come up with a more fanciful name for this that makes it sound more exotic, mysterious and delectable? Like Pinoy Pinky Chicken. Or Penguin Panel Chicken. Or say Lunar New Years Pastoral Chicken.

How about Mama Khan’s Papaya Pineapple Chicken? 🙂 (Mama Khan is Shere Khan’s new fictional mom).

Coming clean on this one- I wanted to make a Green Papaya Chicken which I had tasted before at my aunt’s. She had given me the recipe once, but I didn’t quite like my own rendition of it.

Perhaps I didn’t cook it with love. Who knows- it didn’t come out great. Or sometimes we crave for something else and then what we’ve made falls short of our expectations. Moody cooks, moody kids, moody tasters- we are all familiar with that. There’s no particular pattern to this actually.

Celebration in the midst of funerals

Here are a few things I did to get over my dark funk post last week around my aunt’s funeral. I don’t know how the rest of the family is coping- there was a storm and flurry of activities. Now I guess it will take time and they need their space to recover and recuperate.

I bought a few plants.

I finished reading a book that was lying half-finished for many days.

And I checked in with a few friends who I had not met or spoken to in many days. I’m meeting one of them this weekend. She’s moved into a new house and has been busy travelling. It will be good to catch up.

So here I am making another attempt to create this Papaya chicken dish now with the addition of pineapples.

Reprise of the Papaya Pineapple Chicken

Why pineapples? It’s the season for pineapples. There are pineapple tarts being made and shared to celebrate Lunar New Year in some parts of the world.

Can I confess- I don’t like them and yet I ate too many of them. Difficult to forget the taste.

Why did I eat them? Well, if you have a sweet tooth and there’s a plate of pineapple tarts lying in front of you all day long. Especially considering you live in a household where gluten and sugar is strictly forbidden- you will gravitate towards them. Or worse still- a whole jar of it gifted by someone, would you not eat them?

I think love-letter biscuits are better options. Less sweet and definitely has the crunch or the cronch (as I am now updated in new lexicon). I’m not tempting you with more offerings of these. Let’s check out fresh fruits instead.

Pineapple is eaten during the Lunar New Year celebrations because it symbolises prosperity. And oranges are for good luck. Why? Let’s find out.

I did many socially unacceptable things before like sticking chopsticks into rice bowls (a strict no no). Mostly got some gentle guidance on this from others who knew that I didn’t know enough.

I still don’t know enough and the more I learn, the more I forget. So, here’s me trying to just leave a few half-remembered bits for others to learn and unlearn. I’m not sure some of these customs matter much in many places now.

Orangutans don’t eat Papaya Pineapple Chicken

Pineapples now remind me of the pineapple farms in Sadir (Borneo) we visited during a short holiday in a village homestay. We had a beautiful day trekking through the forests and having a rustic farm style picnic lunch with fresh barbecued meat, vegetables and of course pineapple. All cooked very simply with the local produce there.

First time, I saw rice being cooked inside a bamboo there and learnt about the use of bunga kantan (torch ginger).

Being an auntie, I have to share of course. So, here’s me sharing this recipe which is a significantly simplified version of many such curry recipes. I had the good fortune to try and taste some complex curries across my mad hopping days in Southeast Asia.

This one has no particular lineage. But it is inspired from observing Asam curries which made use of chunks of pineapples thrown with chicken, pork or fish.

I am going to make this with chicken. But you can make it with fish or your choice of meat too.

Simplified with minimal spices which is a bastardised version that many traditional households and real nonnas/nanis will not approve of easily.

Small cube of smelly memories

I’m also keen to make use of this belacan (dried shrimp) paste which is languishing in one part of my freezer. It has that weird and unholy smell which is difficult for many people to like. But some of us have learnt to love the taste of the dish cooked with it.

This belacan was gifted by my friend about 2 years ago who has gone silent on me. Good thing about this one is that it keeps in the freezer for a long time. And a little goes a long way.

When you cook with it- the smell is overpowering. I recently met a young lady at my aunt’s funeral- one of the neighbour’s daughters. Interestingly she makes trailers for Adam Sandler films. I didn’t know you had studios and production houses just to make trailers. And she was so young!

We were talking about some traditional food, and we discussed about shutki maachh (dried fish). This is again something which has a horrible unpalatable smell which is difficult for most people to like. But, if you are used to it and have overcome that repulsion, you may actually love it.

It’s one of those things- you either love it or hate it. I hate the smell of shutki maachh. But somehow, I like the taste of food cooked with belacan. Go figure.

I think if cooked properly in a spice mix- one can hardly smell it and the burst of umami flavour it gives is unparalleled.

Papaya Pineapple Chicken is not complicated

Getting back to the recipe- this papaya chicken recipe shared by my aunt was interesting for me because it had no onions or garlic. Only green papaya, ginger, green chillies, cumin seeds, fresh coriander leaves and a bit of garam masala. Very simple, no?

Now, I’m adding these additional ingredients of belacan paste and pineapple chunks. How will that be? Let’s find out.

I think, kids will like it more. Difficult sometimes to get elders to like these kinds of hybrid dishes. Best is not to tell them anything- some of them can’t even detect it. And many of their objections are more mental than actual experiential. However, always good to check if the taster has any allergies to shrimps.

Like recently, I tried to make a simple snack out of tortilla wraps in lieu of chapati/paratha for my mother. She immediately dismissed it. I tried to compare it to shawarma rolls, rumali roti…etc. But you know how for some people- they are stuck on some fixed concepts/notions about how a particular dish should taste. It’s weird how she’s becoming more and more rigid as the years go by.

She was actually the one who was more accepting and open to new ideas as compared to my father. She complained for years how he didn’t like her making chowmein, pasta, baked goodies, etc. when she tried those at home. He only wanted his regular chapati/roti, dal and vegetable. Now, she’s behaving the same way. Why?

Mom roasting instead of Chicken/duck roasting

Well, life comes a full circle sometimes. And she may well behave more moderate/modern with other women/men around later. It’s really unpredictable. Also, it depends on who is serving this dish.

Now if say she’s in a good mood for some reason, and someone happens to share this with her- she may like it.

Basically, attacking the person who may listen to her is her first instinct. So- careful folks. Steer clear for some time. Take a walk and you may discover a few new things. Like I did many years ago.

Heard about Gastreogeography? 🙂

Here I am maintaining the peace by cooking this particular dish far away from her in my own kitchen. Will make sure nobody is around. I remember cooking with belacan with my helpers and going through a mad cleansing routine to get rid of the smells.

Very important in airconditioned apartments which have closed doors/windows all around.

Especially if you have an intolerant German Shepherd of a husband lurking in the shadows. I am using the term metaphorically, but you may get the picture. Imagine living your life in constant fear or degraded self-image with someone like that. Anyways, we live and we learn.

My husband is like a mother- it’s complicated

As far as cooking is concerned, I learn mostly through trial and error– hence my love for kitchen experiments. I may get a positive result or I may not. Point is to keep practicing. And sending out good wishes to others who love to cook, eat, create and experiment- we call it metta in some way.

Is it metta– when you have actually used some very negative words for someone or the other? I don’t know. As long as your heart is true, full and you have positive vibrations- send it out anyways.

Quite a few kids are appearing for exams or preparing for admissions to colleges. Parents are stressed and the usual family drama unfolds during this period related to upcoming summer holidays.

How can I help? I can’t help them unless they tell me how. So, here’s me sending this recipe instead. It may help some people.

Definitely helps me to use pineapples for the first time in my cooking this year. I did make some pineapple, ham and cheese salad thing before. But that was a very easy one.

Papaya Pineapple Chicken or Chutney

Some of my Bengali friends maybe familiar with papaya chutney, pineapple chutney or papaya pineapple chutney- old favourites. But this adding of ripe fruits to curries is not very popular in my hometown.

Hey, but we are familiar with sweet and sour Chinese or Thai curries. So, what’s the big deal? I can already see a few frowns in the foreheads of elders, teachers and gurus. I believe we may find versions of curries with pineapple in other parts of India. Let’s search and explore!

Now, I am getting confused with too much of deliberations and suggestions.

Here’s why chicken instead of chutney. The chutney requires almost 1-1.5 cups of sugar at least. And I have a family history of diabetes among other blessed genetically inherited diseases.

I’m trying to be good here and make something of a proteins & veggies combination. My usual go-to for a healthier meal.

The pineapple is just a touch of sweetness as a nod to the lunar new year celebrations. And the belacan is an homage to many who taught and shared. It was fun.

I do miss my friends and ex colleagues with whom I shared many meals and reunion lunches.

Footnote

Guess the 🪴

One came with flowers
Four without
One came with a pot
Four with nought
My neighbour was disposing
I received her discard.
Lucky timing is what I see
Hope these survive
My love here for plants
Is defined by a wish
May the good wishes
Of loved ones guide you.
I see a few loved ones
In the earth, the water, the air, and the sun
What blooms or bears fruit
Has survived the onslaught
Of care mingled with anxiety and apathy
Or simply the mingling
Of nature’s vagaries with human errors.

Melting Lemon Drop 15. 02. 2026