21 January, 2009

Pineapple Rasam to Tantalise your Taste Buds...

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Pineapple Rasam

Rasams rule our dinner menu’s in winters and for that matter, even in summers. Gently steamed bowl of rice and a ladleful of spicy and tangy Rasam with crunchy Papadams top my comfort food category. This is a type of food which can lift your mood and sooth your spirit. This is a type of food that warms your heart and takes you down the wonderful memory lane.


Talking of Rasams or Saaru as we call in Kannada, you will be amazed to find hundreds of recipes of making it with different ingredients. While Tomato Rasam is my favourite one, Lemon, Coconut, Horse gram, Kokum etc are few more varieties of Rasams I enjoy quite often. Apart from these, there is one more Rasam that my Amma used to cook for us when she was short of time and ingredients. And that one is Pineapple Rasam which my mother had learnt from her sister.

My Chikkamma’s recipe of Pineapple Rasam is very simple, uses very few ingredients and quick to make. It is one of the best examples of using fruits in savoury recipes. I make it quite often when I am feeling bit too lazy to cook lentils and chop vegetables. Few cups of fresh or canned Pineapple cubes cooked along ginger and green chillies for spiciness, tamarind pulp for tingling sourness and jaggery or palm sugar for sweet note is a tingling sensation of three flavours to your taste buds. Addition of Rasam Powder makes this simple Rasam more flavoursome and redefines the simplicity in cooking. Yes, you don’t need basketful of ingredients and cup full of spices to cook something exciting and exotic. Just handful of ingredients and pinches of spices is enough to tantalise your senses and touch your soul.

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Pineapple and Rasam Powder for Pineapple Rasam

Photobucket Print This Recipe
Pineapple Rasam (Sweet, Sour and Spicy Pineapple Soup)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 3-4
Recipe Source: Chikkamma, my Aunt
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner
Spice Level: Low to Medium
Serving Suggestion: With steam cooked rice and papad

Ingredients:
2-3 cups Pineapple, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1-2 Green Chilli, slit (Adjust acc to taste)
½ tsp Ginger, crushed and finely chopped
½ - 1 tbsp Rasam Powder, homemade or store bought (Adjust acc to taste)
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Tamarind Paste or 1 small marble sized Tamarind Pulp
½-1 tbsp Jaggery or Palm Sugar (Adjust acc to taste)
5 Black Pepper Corns, crushed (Optional)
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste

For Tadka/Tempering:
½ tbsp Ghee or Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
1 Dry Red Chilli, halved
Few Curry Leaves
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Pineapple Rasam

Method:
Take 4 cups of water in a pan and add rasam powder, jaggery and tamarind extract to it. Bring this to gentle boil over medium heat.
Now add cubed pineapple pieces along with slit green chillies, ginger, turmeric powder, crushed peppercorns and salt to taste. Simmer the heat and cook it covered for 10 mins. Remove the lid and bring this rasam to a boil and cook it for another 2-3 mins.
Mean while heat ghee/oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When it starts to pop and splutter, add cumin seeds, halved red chillies, hing and curry leaves. Roast the spices till they are fragrant, for about 1 minute.
Transfer the tadka/tempering to the rasam.
Add finely chopped coriander leaves and cover the pan and let it rest for 5 more minute for all the flavours to blend well. Serve hot with steam cooked white rice and Papadams and enjoy.


Notes:
  • Sometimes I add a cup of cooked dal water while making this Rasam.
  • Puree a cupful of Pineapple cubes and add this juice while making the Rasam to get distinct pineapple flavour in gravy.
  • Use Sambar Powder if you are out of Rasam Powder or skip using the Rasam Powder and add chilli powder, coriander powder and jeera powder in it's place.

On other note, my office work has kept me away from replying to your comments, mails and blog-hopping. Hopefully I should be able to post recipes and blog-hop regularly from next month. So friends, please bear with me for a while.
And do hop to dear Sailu's blog for my article on Exploring Udupi-Mangalorean Street Foods, part of her wonderful series of Indian Food Trail.

29 comments :

  1. My rasom which i love is the plain one ( have only made that)
    I love rasam with plain rice.
    It is so coforting to have them isn't it.
    The only thing is when i make them ( which is not often) and eat them just with plain rice, my hubby and daughter is like yeah she is bbusy with her comfort food.

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  2. Love the color of that pineapple rasam! How was your India trip, Sup? When did you get back? Hope it was fun and relaxing. Got back late last week and am missing the people as well as the weather there. M got adjusted back pretty soon, surprisingly! We all get up at 5am these days (!) and I must say, it's kinda cool as I feel I have tons of time in the morning. Of course, very soon, it'll be back to 7:30-8! :)

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  3. Mmmmm, that sounds and looks so good. I bet it would warm ya up.

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  4. wow ! one of my fav ...Thanks for sharing :)pic looks wonderful ...:)

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  5. mmm. your beautiful description is making the pineapple rasam more tempting! Yum! Gorgeous pics as always!

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  6. Wow,rasam with pineapple..this is new to me.. Looks delicious. Very nice pictures..

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  7. I love rasams, but I have tasted just a few. This one must be really yummy. the sweetness of the pineaple with the tangy taste of allthe spices. slurrpyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!

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  8. Lovely,never tried pineapple in rasam,though heard baout it.Tantalizing pics as always.It seems like a must try

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  9. Oh, I love pineapple rasam!! thanx for reminding me of it...Its been a while since I made it :)

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  10. Never heard about pineapple rasam..New to me..Thanks for sharing this recipe.

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  11. I have had this in bangalore.My friends mom actually makes this...its simply delicious.Urs look great,treat to the eyes:-)....perfect for the winter

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  12. Sia that one really is yummy recipe..Rasam lookss sooooo delicious..i can imagine the aroma of the rasam from u r pic...we never use ginger or green chillies in rasam...must try recipee.

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  13. Yummy looking rasam. Checkout my version:http://spicesnaroma.blogspot.com/2008/11/pineapple-rasam.html

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  14. My discovery of pineapple rasam' existence came as a shock - I was having rasam during my wedding reception and from somewhere I could smell sweet pineapple - took me a while to figure out it was the rasam!!! I'm pretty sure they put pineapple essence in it.

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  15. fantastic!
    i have a slightly sour pineapple in the fridge that no wants to eat,i know its rightful fate now:)

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  16. Thts absolutely unique rasam haan....it might have tasted so tangy...very unsual but lovely colours

    That reminds me,why didnt u send it for Click red,i guess it fits so aptly to their theme....sorry was just curious...anyways is there any substitute for rasam powder?i mean just in case if its not handy ,cud anything else will do?

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  17. I don't make rasam very often even though I love it. My absolute fave is tomato rasam followed very closely by pineapple rasam.

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  18. Love pineapple rasam..though the variety i had did not have chunks of pineapple in it!

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  19. Hi Sia, Love the color of the rasam.
    Pineapple, chilli, and tangy...can't ask anything more. I've bookmarked it.

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  20. Nice recipe...adding pineapple to the rasam..i usually make gojju in pineapple..rasam looks nice

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  21. hi
    wow never heard of pineapple rasam. will try it
    vivari
    www.like2enjoy.blogspot.com

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  22. The rasam looks so colourful...I've got to try rasam :-)

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  23. I have been wanting to try pineapple rasam for some time now, this is absolutely the recipe I am going to try first...looks fantastic !

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  24. We make the pineapple rasam but not so often... Love the red color you got guess due to powder! Rasam and papad is such a comfort food

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  25. I can see myself slurping a warm bowl of pineapple rasam, soothing my innards...Thx for the gorgeous recipe, Sia.

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  26. This sounds so spicy and sweet, I love pineapple anyway, must be so delicious!

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  27. Love this sweet spicy rasam.. Thank for reminding, Sia !!

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  28. Wow...Beautiful picture taken....I love this rasam..yyummmmmy

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