Pineapple Rasam

Today I was tired to cook. Since I am very fussy about food, going out is not a good option :) I would prefer home cooked south indian meal. During my weekely call to my mom, she mentioned about 'Arachuvitta rasam' which is slightly different from our normal rasam. She also added that we can use pineapple instead of tomato for this rasam. I gave it a try as it is fairly simple and it turned out to be good.

Normaly at home amma (mom) prepares rasam in a Eeya Chombu as it imparts a characteristic flavor to the rasam. Eeyam means lead and eeya chombu means lead vessel. But there is no lead involved in the making of this vessel. It is primarily an alloy of tin and other metals. Care should be taken that the liquid in the vessel should not evaporate. If the vessel is kept on the naked flame without liquid then it will melt. Ofcourse I dont have a 'eeya chombu'. I should be satisfied with my steel vessel.

Here is the recipe hope you all will like it.

Ingredients:
Tamarind - Small lime sized
Coriander leaves - a small bunch
Curry leaves - 6 to 7
Pineapple cube or chopped tomato - 1/2 cup
Mashed toor dal/red gram - 6 to 7 tbsp
Jaggery - small piece
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Clarified butter/ ghee - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

Masala (To grind):
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Green chillies - 1 to 2
Ginger - 1" piece
Garlic (optional) - 1 clove

Method:
Extract tamarind juice after soaking the tamarind in 1/2 cup water.
Grind the masala ingredients to a fine paste by adding little water.
Take the tamarind extract in a vessel and to this add the chopped pineapple (or tomato), jaggery, salt and pinch of turmeric.
Let it cook for sometime. Then add the mashed toor dal (red gram) and continue cooking over medium heat for 2 to 3 mins.
Then add the paste. Add more water do bring to the desired consistency. Let this boil for 2-3 min.
In a seperate pan, heat ghee. Add the mustard, when it splutters add the cumin seed and then the curry leaves. Add this to the rasam. Garnish the rasam with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice and pappadam.

Preparation time: About 15 min
Serves: 2 people