Pineapple Rasam

Pine Apple Rasam

Ingredients for 4 adults

1. Toor dal 1/4 or 1/2 small cup ( 100 gms) 
2. Tamarind  -lemon size or Tamarind paste 1 teaspoon
3. Sambhar powder* - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon( or more depending on your taste) 
4. Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
5. Curry leaves - a few
6. Coriander leaves - a few
7. Oil - one teaspoons
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon 
9. Hing a small piece or powder 1/4 teaspoon ( two pinches).
10. Pine apple slices - 1/2 cup

Pre-preparation:

1. Dissolve the tamarind in 1 and  1/2  cups of water and keep it aside. ( if you are using raw tamarind, dissolve  using warm water, mash it with your fingers and filter to remove the debris and fibres)
2. Clean the toor dal and put it in the cooker vessel.
3. Add 2 cups of water and add the turmeric powder
4. Pressure cook for 20 minutes ( till the dal becomes soft and mash able)          

Preparation:

1. Pour a  teaspoon of oil in a skillet ( kadai). Put the mustard seeds. Wait till they splutter and add the hing.
2. Pour the tamarind water.Add salt and the pineapple pieces. Let this boil for 10 minutes till the raw aroma of the sambhar powder disappears.
3. Take out the dal, mash the dal with a hand churner or a thick spoon and pour this dal water into the boiling rasam.
4. Add the curry leaves, Coriander leaves. 
5. Cook in a low flame till the smell of the dal disappears and you see the rasam frothing with bunbbles in them.
6. For more flavor you can add some more curry leaves at this stage.

* Preparation of this powder is given separately in this blog. Pre-packed sambhar powder called Madras sambhar /  rasam powder is also available in MTR and other brands.