Pasta Mint Salad

I tasted this at Pizza hut in Bangalore, India and since then, it is one of our favorite dishes. Usually, if I like something, I try to dig in and figure out what is in it which is making it so interesting and I like to try it out myself. This was very easy and it tastes exactly the same. It is a bit on the sweeter side because of the ingredients used, but believe me, it tastes great!
Generally, we don't have many choices in salads (Ones without Lettuce - this is one version for those who do not like salads with lettuce or greens)
This tastes great when served chilled. It's a great side dish with a slice of garlic bread or Focaccia.


Ingredients:
1 cup elbow pasta (macaroni) cooked al dente and cooled (Any other pasta like penne, rotini, bow, shell can be used)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 Roma tomato, deseeded and diced
1/4 cup pineapple chunks (if using canned, reserve the juice)
1 kiwi fruit (deseeded and chopped fine - leave the skin on, it tastes fine)
1 tea spoon sugar (check for pineapple, if it is naturally sweet, you can omit this sugar)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Method:
Cook the pasta according to instructions with olive oil and a pinch of salt. drain and cool until used.
Mix together pasta, tomatoes, pineapple (without the juice), kiwi fruit. Chill until used.
Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, sugar (if using) until thick along with any reserved pineapple juice. Add chopped mint leaves and add it to the pasta.
Mix well, chill and serve.
(Note: Adding lemon juice or vinegar preserves the colour of the mint to stay green and also does not alter the taste. Chop the mint leaves just before mixing in to avoid any discoloration.)
Serve chilled.