Aromatic and Spicy Kerala Style Inji Curry, a must try Classic from Kerala Cuisine …!!
- 300 gm inji/ginger
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 2 green chilies (sliced round)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp kayam/asafoetida/hing
- ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds (roasted & powdered)
- lime sized puli / tamarind (soaked in ½ cup warm water)
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 dry red chillies
- 3 sprigs of curry leaves
- 1.5 cup water
- Coconut oil (as required)
- Salt (as required)
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Prepare ginger: Clean and scrape off the skin, cut ginger into thin slices and soak in water for 10 minutes.
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Fry ‘em up: Squeeze out the water from the ginger slices and fry in hot coconut oil until crispy and browned.
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Allow the fried ginger to cool completely, then transfer it to a blender and grind into fine powder. Keep aside.
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Prepare tamarind extract: Squeeze the tamarind in the soaked water, strain the juice and keep it aside.
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Prepare spice powder mix: In a separate bowl, mix water, chili powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida, fenugreek powder and keep aside.
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Make curry: In a separate pan on medium flame, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add dry red chilies, green chilies and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute.
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Add the prepared spice powder mix, tamarind extract, and increase the heat to max allowing the curry to boil.
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Once it starts boiling, reduce the flame to a low and add the fried ginger powder, mix well.
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Allow the curry to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring in between until it reaches a semi thick consistency.
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Check for the seasoning, add a pinch of jaggery to balance the taste.
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Once it reaches your desired consistency, switch off the flame.
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Storage: Transfer to a clean dry glass jar or a ceramic jar / bharani to store. You can keep it outside for 2 days and then refrigerate it.
• Small onions / shallots are an optional ingredient for this recipe.
• Coconut oil is recommended in this recipe, any neutral oils except for olive oil can also be used.
• Adjust the quantity of chili powder and green chilies to suit your spice levels.
• Use a clean dry glass jar or a ceramic jar / bharani to store pickles. Do not use steel or metal jars as the acidic nature of the pickles may react with the metal and become toxic.
• You can store the pickles at room temperature initially for 2 days, but refrigerate thereafter to prevent decay.