Inji Puli, a delicacy hailing from Kerala, is typically composed of ginger, tamarind, jaggery, coconut oil, and red or green chilies. I personally experimented with replacing the coconut oil with gingelly oil and found the flavor to be delightful. This dish pairs excellently with curd rice.
Inji Puli
Course: PickleCuisine: Indian, KeralaDifficulty: Easy10
servings10
minutes20
minutesDiscover the spicy and tangy flavors of the Kerala specialty, Inji Puli! Made with ginger, tamarind, and jaggery, it’s a must-try dish that pairs perfectly with curd rice.
Ingredients
Ginger finely chopped – 1 cup
Tamarind – a lemon size
Green Chillies – 6 to 8
Red Chilli Powder – 2 teaspoons
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Jaggery powdered – 2 to 3 tablespoons
Roasted and ground Fenugreek Powder -1 teaspoon
Asafoetida Powder – 1/2 teaspoon
- For seasoning:
Oil – 4 to 6 tablespoons
Mustard – 1 teaspoon
Urad Dal – 1 teaspoon
Red Chillies – 3 to 4
Curry Leaves – few
Salt – 2 teaspoons or as per taste
Directions
- Start by washing the ginger and peeling off the skin. Finely chop the ginger until you have approximately one cup.
- Similarly, chop the green chillies into small pieces.
- Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water and squeeze out the juice. Adjust the quantity of water to make two cups of thick tamarind juice.
- In a frying pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the urad dal and red chillies, both cut into small pieces.
- Once the dal turns light brown, add the chopped green chillies and curry leaves. Fry them for a while.
- Add the chopped ginger to the pan and fry until its raw smell disappears and it turns slightly brown.
- Pour in the tamarind extract and stir well. Allow the contents to boil for a few minutes.
- Reduce the heat and add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder, and salt. Stir well and allow it to boil.
- Next, add the jaggery and continue cooking on medium flame until the mixture thickens to a semi-solid consistency.
- Finally, sprinkle in the fenugreek powder and remove the pan from the stove.