During pineapple season, the streets came alive with street vendors sitting under the blazing African sun, beside mounds of golden pineapples laid out on gunnysacks or stacked high in plastic buckets. They would weave through traffic, balancing their vibrant buckets above their heads, calling out, "nanasi, nanasi" as the scent of ripe fruit filled the air.
For me, this juice is more than just a refreshing drink-it’s a nostalgic journey back to my childhood. At home, it is customary to enjoy freshly pressed juices with meals at local restaurants or during casual gatherings with friends at ice cream parlors and juice stalls, where in-season fruit juices are always on offer. Sometimes walking through the streets and gully you would happen upon a small juice stall, stop for a quick break, and sit on rickety wooden benches sipping freshly pressed juice, these are among my most cherished memories.
The pineapple does not get much action in the Indian kitchen, and we only had it in fruit salads or as a juice, and perhaps much later as the exotic alcohol free Piña Colada.
My mum would make “ananas no juice,” when pineapples were at their peak in sweetness, however, even at their peak, Tanzanian pineapples did not drip with a nectarous sweetness that seemed to capture the essence of summer like the ones I get here in the US. Mum added plenty of sugar to sweeten the juice, often adding a pinch of salt to soften and balance any lingering tartness, and sometimes as all East African Indians do, she would add a pinch of freshly roasted and crushed cumin powder! Yes, cumin powder is something you will find in freshly squeezed orange juice as well.
My take on it is a bit different-I skip the sugar and salt, and instead, I add a splash of lime juice and a generous handful of fresh mint.
This pineapple refresher will give you your daily dose of manganese and is a great source of vitamins C, B1, and B6, along with copper and dietary fiber. This recipe is vegan and refined sugar-free.
You’ll need the following ingredients:
- Pineapple - You can even buy it pre-cut if you prefer, but whatever you do make sure it is very ripe
- Mint - fresh mint leaves
- Lime
- Cold Water
- Ice cubes
- For an extra finishing touch, garnish with mint sprigs or a slice of fresh lime or pineapple. Cheers!
1. 1 ripe pineapple, cored and sliced (about 6 cups of pineapple chunks)
2. 2-3 cups COLD water
3. 10 to 12 mint leaves, or to taste- add more if you like it more minty
4. 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice or ½ lime or more really depending on what you like
5. 1 cup ice cubes
6. Garnish: tall mint sprigs, lime wedges or pineapple slices
- Give your mint a slap to release the aroma
- Combine all the ingredients in the jar of a high-speed blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- If you prefer a no-pulp version, you can strain the puree through a fine mesh strainer.
A more detailed post on Nadiasmeza.com
11 сен 2024
