Pineapple squash recipe with step by step photo and video instructions. Pineapple squash is a pineapple drink concentrate made from fresh fruit. Water is added to the concentrate to make an instant juice when desired. Pineapple squash is vegan, gluten-free and fits a Jain diet. It is served chilled.
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Pineapple Squash + Cold Water + Ice cubes = Summer in a glass.
I'm not a big fan of the sweltering heat of Summer, but I love all the cold drinks that come with it. My ideal summer scene would have been sitting on a shack near the beach, sipping a chilled drink and eating french fries. An evening I had in my plans but had to get postponed due to everything happening in the world at the moment.
But no regrets, because now I get to sit in my unusually quiet balcony on my bean bag without a care in the world and sip on this instant pineapple juice while I listen to all the bird activity. With all the humans inside, the birds have returned. It is nice to hear them chirping or even cawing around. I went from hating a pineapple as a child to loving it as an adult. And I love having this pineapple squash at hand these days.
What is pineapple squash?
Pineapple Squash is a pineapple juice concentrate that you can mix with water or plain soda to instantly make a pineapple flavored drink. It also can be used in mocktails and cocktails.
The details...
Firstly, pick the ripest and sweetest pineapples, that are really fragrant. You will need less sugar if the fruit itself is very sweet. You can peel and cube the pineapple whenever you have time and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to prepare the squash.
Use a juicer or a blender to puree the pineapples. This puree needs to be strained to remove any fiber that is present. Use a fine-mesh strainer to get the smoothest puree that is free of any large bits or unwanted fiber.
The sugar syrup is a simple one, 2 parts sugar to 1 part water. The amount of sugar required depends on how sweet you like your drink and how sweet is your fruit. The fruit I bought was not very sweet, more on the tard side, so I needed all the sugar I used. The sugar syrup is boiled until you get a one string consistency. Once you have that, add in the strained puree and simmer on low heat for 5-8 minutes. I realized that the longer I cook the squash, the more the pineapple loses its freshness, hence I cooked it much less. However, it does need cooking, so don't skip it, especially if making large batches.
Once the squash cools down, we add lime juice to help in preservation. Although I really didn't need it, considering the squash barely lasted a week, and that too because I had a decent stock of Lemon Ice Tea already in the fridge and some store bought soft drinks.
Store the pineapple squash in a clean sterile bottle in the fridge. I prefer a glass bottle, but you can use plastic too. I'd completely avoid metal bottles.
And when you are in a mood to have pineapple juice, mix the concentrate with plain or sparkling water, throw in some ice cubes and enjoy!!
If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family!
Video Recipe
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Pineapple Squash Recipe | How to make Pineapple Juice Concentrate
Pineapple squash is a pineapple drink concentrate made from fresh fruit. Water is added to the concentrate to make an instant juice when desired. Pineapple squash is vegan, gluten-free and fits a Jain diet.Recipe Type: Beverage
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Yield: 500ml
Ingredients:
2 small Pineapples (600 gms), peeled and cubed
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Water
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
Method:
1. Add the peeled and cubed pineapple to a blender along with 0.25 cup of water and blend to a smooth puree.
2. Strain this puree using a fine mesh strainer and keep aside.
3. Heat the sugar and 0.5 cup water in a large sauce pan to make a simple sugar syrup. Simmer the sugar syrup until it has 1 string consistency.
4. Pour in the pureed pineapple and cook on low heat for 5-8 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
6. Add the lime juice and mix well.
7. Store in a clean glass or plastic bottle in the fridge.
8. To serve, fill 1/3rd of the glass with pineapple squash and add 2/3rd glass of cold water. Add ice cubes if desired.
9. Serve chilled.
Step by step photo instructions:
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