Inji curry / Puli Inji

Every time i think of Onam, i think of Inji curry or may be it is it the other way round! Inji curry and Onam just always go together. Because Inji curry can be preserved and it gets better if left to marinade for a while, it was always one of the first Onam dishes that my mom used to make for the Onasadya. So the making of Inji curry in a way was a pre-cursor to all the amazing dishes that were to follow. Oh, i just love Onam (which is all about eating anyways) and probably why i love Inji curry so much. Lets not get distracted here and discuss about the recipe now.

Inji curry is very traditional and authentic condiment prepared especially in sadhyas (feast) in Kerala. It is a perfect combination of spicy, sweet and sour. Inji means ginger in Malayalam. Inji curry or puli inji is made from fried and ground ginger (inji) which is cooked in tamarind water with fenugreek, chilly powder and jaggery. Inji curry was one of the first curry which my mom used to make during Onam (biggest festival of Kerala). The whole house reminds you of the great feast that is going to come .

Inji Curry / Puli Inji / Ginger Chutney

Recipe by Neha NairCourse: Condiment, chutneyCuisine: Indian, KeralaDifficulty: Medium

Servings

.5

lb

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Inji curry is a ginger based condiment from the state of Kerala. It is sweet, sour and spicy condiment which can make make any bland dish so flavorful.

Ingredients

• 1 lb or 450 gms of fresh ginger 

• 1 tsp of mustard seeds

• 3 sprig of curry leaves

• 1.5-2 tsp of hot red chilly powder or adjust if want it less spicy

• 1/4 tsp of fenugreek powder

• 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder

• 2-4 Tbsp of dark jaggery

• 1 large lemon size tamarind

• Salt to taste

• 1/4 cup of oil 

Directions

• Peel the ginger and slice it thinly or just chop it fine. The pieces should be uniform.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the ginger until it is almost dark brown. Be careful, do not burn.
• Let the fried ginger gets cool down then grind it in a coarse powder.
• Soak tamarind in 1.5 cup of hot water for 1/2 to 1 hour. Then squeeze out the the tamarind pulp and strain its juice in a bowl.
• Heat again the same pan in which ginger is fried and splutter mustard seeds, then add curry leaves and stir for half a min.
• Then add ground ginger, turmeric, chilly powder, tamarind water, fenugreek and jaggery. Let it come to a boil over low-medium heat.
• Cook on low heat until it is dark brown and thick or until the desired consistency. Inji curry is done.
• When inji curry is done, give it a taste test, if it is too tangy or hot add more sugar.

Notes

• Store inji curry in a air tight container when it comes to a room temp then refrigerate it. It will last for 2-3 weeks.
• Serve inji curry with rice and dal or sambhar.  It is also a nice spread for sandwich or burgers.