Pineapple Rasam

     Summer season has arrived. Mangoes, pineapples are now dominating in fruit market. Pineapple is used in smoothies, cake and even in pizzas. I used pineapple in a healthy way and also an unusal way of adding it to rasam. But trust me, it was absolutely delicious . The rasam gave a taste of slight sweet, sour and spicy all combined together and it was very yummy when mixed with rice or quinoa. Give it a try and am sure you will like it.

INGREDIENTS:

Pineapple - 4 to 5 pieces

Tomato  - 1 medium sized

Toor dal - 1/4 cup

Garlic pods - 4 to 5 no.s

Black pepper - 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Rasam powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - as required

Coriander leaves - For garnishing

Asafoetida powder - a pinch

SEASONING:

Ghee/ Oil - 2 teaspoon

Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chilli - 2 no.s

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Curry leaves - as required

METHOD:

1. Pressure cook toor dal and keep it aside. Take half of pineapple pieces and grind it in to a smooth paste. Remaining pineapples, cut in to small pieces.

2. Grind tomatoes to a smooth puree.

3. Take garlic pods, whole black pepper ( 1 tsp), cumin seeds ( 1 tsp) and grind them to a coarse mixture without adding any water. 

4. Now in a bowl, add the tomato puree, pineapple puree, salt, turmeric powder, rasam powder, also add 1/2 of the garlic pepper coarse paste which you made in step 3. Remianing half you can add it , when you do the seasoning. Also add some water to make it little watery. 

5. In a pan, add ghee or oil. Add mustard, dry red chilli , fenugreek seeds , curry leaves. Also add the remaining coarse black pepper garlic mixture which you prepared in step 3. Also add chopped pineapple pieces and stir for a minute or two.

6. Now add the mixture which you prepared in step 4. Allow it to boil for 7 minutes for the raw smell to go.

7. Now add the cooked toor dal and add some water to adjust your consistency. When it starts to boil and turns frothy , switch off. Garnish with coriander leaves and also sprinkle some asafoetida powder. Remember, after adding toor dal, you should not boil the rasam for too long . 

8. Pineapple rasam is ready to serve ! It taste best when it is hot and taken along with quinoa or white rice. You can also drink it as a soup !

Quinoa, Pineapple Rasam, Spinach dal, Bitter gourd fry and Tofu