Pineapple Mulligatawny soup

Pineapple Mulligatawny Soup

There are so many versions of the famous "Mulligatawny Soup" (the literal Tamil translation being just "pepper water" ) that I decided to add my own version-a pineapple (yes,now that I have THE pineapple cutter I can actually experiment with pineapple dishes, since we seem to buying it almost every week) flavoured mulligatawny soup. The addition of the pineapple makes this soup a perfect soup for summer or winter!
Ingredients:

• Pineapple: 1 cup (chopped)
• Onion: 1/2 medium (finely chopped)
• Garlic:2 cloves(crushed)
• Ginger:1/2 " piece(finely chopped)
• Pepper: 1-2 teaspoon(freshly ground)
• Turmeric: a pinch
• Curry powder or Sambar/rasam powder:1/2 to 1 teaspoon
• Green chillies:1-2(slit lengthwise)
• Water/vegetable broth/dal water: 2 cups
• Oil: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste
• Sugar/Jaggery: 1 teaspoon(optional)

For tempering:

• Mustard seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
• Zeera/Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
• Peppercorns:3-4 nos.
• Curry leaves:2-3 nos.
• Hing/Asafoetida: a pinch (optional)

Method:

1. Puree half the quantity of the pineapple into a fine paste and keep aside.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the mustard seeds,cumin seeds and peppercorns.
3. When the mustard starts to sputter,add the curry leaves,turmeric and the asafoetida (optional).
4. Add the chopped ginger and the crushed garlic and stir-fry till slightly brown.
5. Then,add the chopped onions,green chillies and salt and saute till the onions are golden brown.
6. Add the pineapple puree along with the rest of the chopped pineapple pieces,curry or sambar/rasam powder,sugar/jaggery(optional) and stir continuously for about 5-6 minutes on medium heat.
7. Add about 2 cups of water/vegetable broth (or you could also use the water after boiling dal) and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
8. Serve hot with a dash of freshly ground pepper.

Question: What is your favorite "summer" soup?