Pineapple sheera
With a story of my Bawaji and our Saturday morning breakfasts at State Bank of India
“Walkeshwar na Pathra”.
Walkeshwar is a posh area in Mumbai and pathra translates to stones. Walkeshwar na Pathra was my Bawaji’s – maternal grandfather’s – favourite phrase. His way of telling me that whatever I was sharing with him was bogus lies.
If I told him that the other children in my school called me fat he’d say, “Walkeshwar na Pathra” and if I told him as a wise six-year old that our dog, ‘Red’ (he was made of plastic) didn’t really want to go for a walk he’d also say, “Walkeshwar na Pathra”.
Being the first grandchild, I was lucky to have had his undivided attention for seven glorious years. I was his ‘Kallu’.
I went to school in the ‘Fountain’ area of Mumbai and Bawaji worked close by at State Bank of India (SBI) where he worked his whole life rising up to Head Cashier.
When I grew up, his favourite story to retell was how I often fell asleep on the school bus. The bus would take me back to school and then mum would frantically call bawaji to come pick me up as she was at work on the other side of town. The two of us would have a packet of bright red Uncle Chipps and then catch the train from Churchgate back home to Mumbai Central.
While I loved listening to that story, the memory of bawaji I treasure are our Saturday morning breakfasts at SBI. Bawaji worked halfdays at the bank on a Saturday and before I was old enough for extracurricular stuff, mum and me would visit him every Saturday for breakfast around 10. He’d take us to the SBI staff mess where you could buy various discounted meals.
The menu changed regularly at the mess but what was always available was pineapple sheera.
This was not an Instagram worthy dish. The pineapple sheera would be served as a little glob on a tiny steel saucer and came garnished with exactly three pieces of broken cashew. It didn’t matter.
Because from the first bite to the last, it was completely delicious. The bits of pineapple I bit into would remind me of summer holidays and the ghee laden soft texture of the sheera was like hiding in a warm cozy blanket. Mum and bawaji probably always ordered it to keep me quiet.
There’s a few other stories about bawaji I remember. How he hated grating coconuts but would grumble and grate one for me so that Mamaiji could make me her signature curry. And, how he always helped people when they needed help in the form they needed it - funding a school education for an orphan or feeding lunch to the elderly in a care home.
Sometimes I grieve that my brain has not held onto the other memories. Seven years of being the only grandchild and all I have are these faint memories of bawaji.
On those days I make curry with fresh coconut that I’ve grated myself.
On those days, I follow up the curry with a ladle full of pineapple sheera.
I eat everything and at bedtime I try to explain to my almost Kiwi son what “Walkeshwar na pathra” means.
What is pineapple sheera?
Sheera and upma are both categories of puddings that are made with wheat semolina (rava). When the pudding is sweet and fine semolina is used it’s called a sheera and when it’s savoury and made with coarse semolina, it’s called upma.
Sheera also goes by many other names like Sheero, Ravo, Sooji ka Halwa and Kesari. It’s a classic Indian dish that makes a delicious sweet breakfast or even works as a desert for religious ceremonies or auspicious days like birthdays. It uses few basic ingredients that are commonly found in most Indian kitchens - semolina, sugar, ghee, and cardamom.
Amongst different communities there are different ways of making sheera. The ingredients you choose to use will depend on how much you love the person you’re cooking for. The everyday kind - like the one that was served in Bawaji’s staffroom - is mostly made with water and ghee while the classic one would be made with milk and include saffron strands and (ofcourse) more cashews (or even almonds! gasp!).
You can flavour your sheera with many different fruits or if fruits are not your thing, you could also make a plain one with hints of nutmeg and cardamom. Ram Ashraya in Mumbai is an iconic restaurant which has a daily rotating menu of different kinds of sheera. They serve up everything from pineapple to apple to chocolate to butterscotch sheera!
Pineapple sheera (for two)
120gm unroasted fine semolina
1/2 cup sugar (add more if you like it sweet)
4 - 5 tbsp ghee
1.5 to 2 cups water
1/4 tsp green cardamom powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
2 tbsp thinly sliced almonds
12-15 cashews, broken
3-4 pineapple slices chopped into small pieces
Optional: 2 tbsp chickpea flour (besan)
Optional: 2 tbsp wheat flour
Optional: 1-2 drops yellow food colouring or 8-10 saffron strands
Chop the pineapple into small pieces. In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar and pineapple and bring to a boil. Allow this to keep simmering until a sugar syrup starts to form. When this happens and IF you want a prominent yellow colour, add in the food colouring or the saffron strands and mix together.
Add ghee to a medium non-stick pan. When hot, add in your cashews and almonds and gently fry them until they turn golden brown. Remove and set aside.
In the same ghee, add rava, wheat flour and besan. The wheat flour and besan are optional but add a depth of flavour and creaminess to the dish. Roast on medium-low heat stirring frequently until the flours turn golden brown and are aromatic. You may need to add a bit more ghee, which is fine. Will take about 5 to 7 minutes.
Carefully add the pineapple syrup to the pan with roasted flours. Keep stirring briskly to ensure no lumps are formed. Lower the hear and cook for a further 2-3 minutes on low heat.
Garnish with cashews and almonds. Enjoy warm. You can also press the sheera into moulds and then top with the nuts should you wish for a Masterchef moment.