Pineapple Fritters (bhajiyas) with Strawberry Sauce

It is fairly common to use vegetables to make fritters, but rarely have I come across fruits dipped in batter to make warm and fluffy bhajiyas!! So after Fried Banana, I was a bit pleasantly surprised to find a recipe for Pineapple Fritters. The name intrigued me enough to give it a shot, and I found it to be a nice variation to eating fruits by themselves. We enjoyed it with Strawberry dipping sauce, and I think you would love to try this recipe too!!
(image courtesy indianfoodforever.com)

Ingredients
Canned pineapple rings (or chunks) - Fresh pineapples are great too!
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk
Oil for frying

Sauce
2 cups fresh or canned strawberries
sugar - to taste (optional, only for a sweet tooth!)
2 tbsp fresh cream

Method
Use the medium-sized pineapple rings. You can cut into 2 pieces after frying if they are big though. Make a smooth batter using the flour, baking powder and milk. Whisk together to for a thick batter that can easily coat the pineapple rings. Thaw the pineapples if you are using the frozen ones. Dip the rings in the batter and allow them to soak for a minute or two. Now heat oil in a pan, and when it is considerably hot (medium-high), fry two rings at a time. Be careful that you do not burn yourself while dropping the battered rings in the pan. Keep the batter thick. fry evenly and remove when it turns slightly golden.

Puree the strawberries with the cream and sugar (add sugar only if needed) to form a well-blended sauce. Serve the hot pineapple fritters with the strawberry dipping sauce. For a better dessert, drizzle vanilla ice cream over the warm fritters!

Tip: You should not need to add any additional sweeteners in the sauce if the strawberries are sweet enough. As this recipe uses only fresh fruits and a little flour, it is still healthy. You can substitute half of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat to make it healthier.