Puli Inji, Inji Thayir and Inji Kichadi

   Inji puli is a pickle that is a must in a Kerala Sadya. As all of you know, most of the Kerala dishes are influenced by regional variations. As far as I know, this dish has two major variations and is called by two different names in the Southern and Northern part of Kerala – Inji Curry and Puli Inji. As  both me and Lakshmi, are from the South, we have already posted the recipe for inji curry here.

  This puli inji  recipe was shared by Preetha Jayesh who is from Trissur. Inji curry is usually spicier than puli inji and the taste of ginger predominates the sweet and sour taste of jaggery and tamarind . But in the case of puli inji there is a balance of sweet and sour elements and the taste of ginger does not dominate them and it is way sweeter than our inji curry. The main ingredients of this dish are ginger, green chilies, tamarind and jaggery. The traditional method doesn’t call for frying the ginger but you can fry it if you want. The other recipes, Inji thayir and Inji Kichadi, are not a part of traditional Kerala feast but is usually served during pirannal sadya and “sraddham”. Hope you like them!!

Ingredients

1. Ginger – 1/4 cup, finely chopped
2. Tamarind / Puli – Lemon-sized
3. Green chilies – 5 – 6, sliced to thin rounds
4. Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
5. Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp
6. Jaggery -  4 cubes (1/4 cup + 1 – 2 tbsp) or to taste
7. Salt – To taste

To season

1. Coconut oil – 2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
3. Dry red chilies – 2
4. Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Method

Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup warm water for a few minutes. Squeeze the tamarind and pour the extract into a deep saucepan. Add 3/4 cup water, salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder. Bring it to a boil (do not cover with lid). Reduce to simmer. Add the chopped ginger (You can use fried ginger if you want. To fry ginger -  Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a pan and saute the finely chopped ginger until brown), jaggery cubes and let it simmer until it reaches a thick consistency, stirring occasionally. It would take more than an hour to achieve this consistency. Adjust the tamarind and jaggery according to your taste preference.

Heat oil in a small pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Fry the dry red chilies and curry leaves. Pour over the prepared puli inji. Serve with rice.

INJI THAYIRU

Ingredients

1. Ginger – 2 tbsp, grated
2. Green chilies or birds’ eye chilies -1 – 2, finely chopped
3. Pearl onion – 2 – 3, chopped (You can avoid this if you are preparing it for sadya)
4. Yoghurt – 1/2 – 3/4 cup
5. Curry leaves – 3 – 4 , chopped (optional)
6. Salt  – To taste

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Taste-check for salt. Serve inji thayiru with rice.

INJI KICHADI (Serves 4 – 5)

Ingredients

1. Ginger – Two 4 inch pieces, finely chopped (kothi ariyuka)

    Green chilies – 3

2. Yoghurt – 1/4 – 1/2 cup or as required

3. Oil – 1 tsp

    Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

    Dry red chilies – 2

    Curry leaves – 1 sprig

4. Oil – 2.5 tbsp

Method

1. Heat 2.5 tbsp oil in a small pan. Add the chopped ginger, green chilies and little salt. Stir-fry until the ginger turns golden brown, it takes about 20 minutes at medium heat. Once the ginger start turning golden, the oil will start separating. You can either discard this oil or use it for seasoning mustard seeds. Switch off. When it cools slightly, add beaten yoghurt. Mix well and check for salt.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan. Splutter mustard seeds and fry dry red chilies and curry leaves. Pour the seasoning over the inji kichadi.