Recipe: Pineapple Rasam – a melange of savoury, sweet and tangy flavours

A staple of any South Indian meal, rasam aka saru in any form is my all time favorite.  I love drinking it most of the time.  Today, I tried an interesting yet delicious twist to the daily rasam by adding pineapple.

A rich source of Vitamin C, pineapples are excellent for the immune system and bone strength.  With its characteristic sweet and sour taste, it is amenable to be added to a wide variety of dishes across cuisines apart from being enjoyed as a fruit.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup pineapple cut into small squares (divide this into 2 parts)
• ¾ cup softly cooked toor dal
• 1-2 tbsp powdered jaggery
• 2 tbsp thick tamarind juice
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp ghee
• Salt to taste

To grind

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp pepper corns
• 3-4 red chillies
• 5-6 garlic pods
• ½ cup freshly grated coconut

For seasoning

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp jeera seeds
• 2-3 peppercorns roughly crushed
• 1 pinch asafetida
• 1 red chilly broken into 2-3 pieces
• 1 sprig curry leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add all ingredients mentioned under “to grind” except freshly grated coconut.
2. Fry the ingredients over a low flame till the spices release their aroma and the garlic pods are soft.
3. Cool the mixture, add freshly ground coconut and grind to a smooth paste.
4. Take half of the chopped pineapples, add some water and grind separately to a smooth watery paste.
5. Take a thick bottom vessel, add the mashed toor dal, the ground mixture and pineapple puree and mix well. Allow to cook on a medium flame.
6. Add salt, turmeric, jaggery and tamarind juice.
7. Add the remaining pineapple pieces and bring to a boil.
8. Heat ghee and add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the remaining ingredients mentioned under the “for seasoning” section and pour over the rasam.
9. Serve with hot rice or just enjoy as a hot soup!

NOTES

1. You can also add the mashed dal and grind it with the spices and coconut so the dal need not be added separately.
2. The quantity of dal and coconut can be manipulated according to your taste/preference.
3. Adjust the quantity of red chillies and pepper corns per your spice level.
4. You can puree the entire quantity of pineapples too in case you do not want the fruit pieces in your rasam.

To read more of my recipes click here and here.