Pineapple Rasam

About Pineapple Rasam

Derived from the words ‘ras or rasa’, the word ‘rasam’ means juice, extract or essence. So, rasam primarily is a dish that is soup-like and made with a variety of ingredients that include veggies, lentils, spices, herbs, tamarind and even fruits. To understand and relate, rasam is spiced or spicy, tangy and having robust flavors with a similar consistency like that of a regular clear soup. Rasam is a staple food in South India, where it is found in many variations as well. This dish is super nutritious, great for health and immune-boosting too. Drinking a bowl of hot rasam can instantly help to soothe a stubborn cold or cough. It also aids in digestion and is best had during chilly winters. This Pineapple Rasam is a lovely variety of rasam that I make. As simple as it may sound, it does have complex flavors too which elevate the taste of the accompaniment that it is paired with. This South Indian, spicy, sweet and sour soup-like dish rasam can be prepared in many ways. The key ingredient which imparts the tangy flavor to a rasam is tamarind. But in this Pineapple Rasam recipe, I have not used tamarind. This is because the pineapple and tomatoes lend their sourness to the dish. The sweet tangy pineapple gives a nice fruity flavor to the rasam. This flavor blends well with the pungency of the spices and herbs that are added in this Pineapple Rasam recipe. Try this Pineapple Rasam and I’m sure that you will like it for its uniqueness. Apart from this Pineapple Rasam, other versions of rasam that are popular throughout South India include Tomato Rasam, Pepper Rasam, Lemon Rasam, Paruppu Rasam and many more. The famous Rasam Powder (Rasam Podi)is a robust, aromatic spice blend that is used in the making of rasams.

How to make Pineapple Rasam

Cooking Lentils (Dal)

1. Cook ¼ cup tur dal (pigeon pea lentils or arhar dal) in a 2 litre pressure cooker with ¾ to 1 cup water and ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder on medium heat. Cook for 5 to 6 whistles or more till the lentils have softened completely. Once the pressure cooking is complete, let the pressure fall naturally in the pressure cooking then only open the lid. Tip 1: If cooking in a pan, then soak the lentils for one hour. Drain and then cook them with the required amount of water. Tip 2: You can also use moong dal instead of tur dal or a mix of both the lentils.
2. Mash the cooked lentils very well with a spoon or wired whisk and set it aside.

More Preparation

3. In a mortar, take 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon black pepper and 5 to 6 medium-sized garlic cloves.
4. Crush coarsely with the pestle. Keep aside. You can also use a small spice-grinder to crush these spices.
5. Chop the pineapple into small cubes and keep them aside. You will need 1 cup of pineapple cubes or 140 grams of pineapple. Note: Make sure that the pineapple is sweet with a touch of tanginess to them. Do not make this rasam with overly sweet pineapples or very sour and tangy pineapples.
6. Now add half of the chopped pineapple cubes in a grinder jar or small blender.
7. Blend to a smooth puree. Take this puree in a bowl and set aside.
8. To the same jar, add 1 medium-sized tomato, quartered or roughly chopped. You need about 75 grams of tomatoes.
9. Pulse the jar a couple of times to crush the tomatoes. You don’t need to make a puree. You can even crush the tomatoes with your hands.

Tempering and Making Pineapple Rasam

10. Heat 1.5 tablespoons oil in a pot or pan. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle. You can use any neutral flavored oil.
11. Now add the crushed coarse paste of garlic-pepper-cumin and 2 to 3 dried red chilies (broken and seeds removed). Simply mix and stir once on a low heat so that the spices do not get burnt.
12. Immediately add 6 to 7 curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida (hing).
13. Stir and then add crushed tomatoes.
14. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on a low to medium heat till the raw aroma of tomatoes goes away. You should also be able to see the oil leaving the sides of the pan.
15. Add the pineapple puree.
16. Stir and mix very well and sauté for 2 minutes.
17. Then, add the cooked and mashed lentils.
18. Next, add the remaining half of the chopped pineapple cubes. Stir to combine.
19. Add 1.5 cups water.
20. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons rasam powder. The addition of rasam powder is optional and you can skip it if you don’t have it.
21. Season with salt as per taste.
22. Mix very well and bring the rasam to a simmer on low to medium heat, without the lid for 8 to 9 minutes.
23. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve the Pineapple Rasam hot with steamed rice or as an appetizer soup.

Serving Suggestions

The consistency of this Pineapple Rasam is thin and runny. So, you can consume it like a soup. In South Indian households, it is served with steamed rice, sambar and a side vegetable dish. Most of the times, even I serve it the same way. Although sometimes I also like to have this Pineapple Rasam with idli or vada. The fried urad dal fritters or vada taste exceptionally good with this tangy and spiced rasam.

Expert Tips

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Tomato Rasam (Thakkali Rasam) Lemon Rasam Paruppu Rasam Milagu Rasam | Pepper Rasam This Pineapple Rasam post from the blog archives first published in November 2015 has been republished and updated on 21 April 2022.

title: “Pineapple Rasam " ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-12” author: “Avery Penn”

About Pineapple Rasam

Derived from the words ‘ras or rasa’, the word ‘rasam’ means juice, extract or essence. So, rasam primarily is a dish that is soup-like and made with a variety of ingredients that include veggies, lentils, spices, herbs, tamarind and even fruits. To understand and relate, rasam is spiced or spicy, tangy and having robust flavors with a similar consistency like that of a regular clear soup. Rasam is a staple food in South India, where it is found in many variations as well. This dish is super nutritious, great for health and immune-boosting too. Drinking a bowl of hot rasam can instantly help to soothe a stubborn cold or cough. It also aids in digestion and is best had during chilly winters. This Pineapple Rasam is a lovely variety of rasam that I make. As simple as it may sound, it does have complex flavors too which elevate the taste of the accompaniment that it is paired with. This South Indian, spicy, sweet and sour soup-like dish rasam can be prepared in many ways. The key ingredient which imparts the tangy flavor to a rasam is tamarind. But in this Pineapple Rasam recipe, I have not used tamarind. This is because the pineapple and tomatoes lend their sourness to the dish. The sweet tangy pineapple gives a nice fruity flavor to the rasam. This flavor blends well with the pungency of the spices and herbs that are added in this Pineapple Rasam recipe. Try this Pineapple Rasam and I’m sure that you will like it for its uniqueness. Apart from this Pineapple Rasam, other versions of rasam that are popular throughout South India include Tomato Rasam, Pepper Rasam, Lemon Rasam, Paruppu Rasam and many more. The famous Rasam Powder (Rasam Podi)is a robust, aromatic spice blend that is used in the making of rasams.

How to make Pineapple Rasam

Cooking Lentils (Dal)

1. Cook ¼ cup tur dal (pigeon pea lentils or arhar dal) in a 2 litre pressure cooker with ¾ to 1 cup water and ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder on medium heat. Cook for 5 to 6 whistles or more till the lentils have softened completely. Once the pressure cooking is complete, let the pressure fall naturally in the pressure cooking then only open the lid. Tip 1: If cooking in a pan, then soak the lentils for one hour. Drain and then cook them with the required amount of water. Tip 2: You can also use moong dal instead of tur dal or a mix of both the lentils.
2. Mash the cooked lentils very well with a spoon or wired whisk and set it aside.

More Preparation

3. In a mortar, take 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon black pepper and 5 to 6 medium-sized garlic cloves.
4. Crush coarsely with the pestle. Keep aside. You can also use a small spice-grinder to crush these spices.
5. Chop the pineapple into small cubes and keep them aside. You will need 1 cup of pineapple cubes or 140 grams of pineapple. Note: Make sure that the pineapple is sweet with a touch of tanginess to them. Do not make this rasam with overly sweet pineapples or very sour and tangy pineapples.
6. Now add half of the chopped pineapple cubes in a grinder jar or small blender.
7. Blend to a smooth puree. Take this puree in a bowl and set aside.
8. To the same jar, add 1 medium-sized tomato, quartered or roughly chopped. You need about 75 grams of tomatoes.
9. Pulse the jar a couple of times to crush the tomatoes. You don’t need to make a puree. You can even crush the tomatoes with your hands.

Tempering and Making Pineapple Rasam

10. Heat 1.5 tablespoons oil in a pot or pan. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle. You can use any neutral flavored oil.
11. Now add the crushed coarse paste of garlic-pepper-cumin and 2 to 3 dried red chilies (broken and seeds removed). Simply mix and stir once on a low heat so that the spices do not get burnt.
12. Immediately add 6 to 7 curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida (hing).
13. Stir and then add crushed tomatoes.
14. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on a low to medium heat till the raw aroma of tomatoes goes away. You should also be able to see the oil leaving the sides of the pan.
15. Add the pineapple puree.
16. Stir and mix very well and sauté for 2 minutes.
17. Then, add the cooked and mashed lentils.
18. Next, add the remaining half of the chopped pineapple cubes. Stir to combine.
19. Add 1.5 cups water.
20. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons rasam powder. The addition of rasam powder is optional and you can skip it if you don’t have it.
21. Season with salt as per taste.
22. Mix very well and bring the rasam to a simmer on low to medium heat, without the lid for 8 to 9 minutes.
23. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve the Pineapple Rasam hot with steamed rice or as an appetizer soup.

Serving Suggestions

The consistency of this Pineapple Rasam is thin and runny. So, you can consume it like a soup. In South Indian households, it is served with steamed rice, sambar and a side vegetable dish. Most of the times, even I serve it the same way. Although sometimes I also like to have this Pineapple Rasam with idli or vada. The fried urad dal fritters or vada taste exceptionally good with this tangy and spiced rasam.

Expert Tips

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Tomato Rasam (Thakkali Rasam) Lemon Rasam Paruppu Rasam Milagu Rasam | Pepper Rasam This Pineapple Rasam post from the blog archives first published in November 2015 has been republished and updated on 21 April 2022.