Puli Inji

Ingredients

Ginger – ½ cup, finely chopped

Green chilli – 3-4, slit

Tamarind – lemon-sized ball

Jaggery – (adjust to taste)

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Chilli powder – ½ tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder – ½ tsp 

Salt – to taste

Water – 1½ to 2 cups

Coconut oil – 3 tbsp

For Tempering:

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Dry red chilli – 2, broken

Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Preparation

Soak tamarind in 1 cup of warm water for 15–20 min.Squeeze and extract the thick juice. Set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in a pan.

Add the finely chopped ginger and sauté till it turns golden brown. ( Can run through a food processor to improve fineness)

Add green chillies and curry leaves, sauté for 1–2 minutes.

Mix in turmeric powder and chilli powder, sauté for a few seconds.

Pour the tamarind extract into the pan.

Add jaggery and salt. Stir well and let it simmer on low heat until it thickens to a chutney-like consistency.

For the tempering heat about 1 tbsp coconut oil in a small tadka pan 

Add mustard seeds, let them splutter.

Now add fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies, and curry leaves.

Pour this tempering into the ginger-tamarind mixture.

Mix well and cook for another 1–2 minutes.

Cool and store in an airtight jar. Keeps well for a week at room temperature, longer if refrigerated.

Notes 

For deeper flavor, some people grind half of the fried ginger into a paste and mix it back in — this gives a thicker, smoother Inji Puli.

For removing the biting taste of ginger , u can even grind it to a 80 percent paste , wash it in water , sieve through a fine mesh , follow the steps mentioned above 

To prevent , burning of powder , I suggest you to mix it and keep it in advance 

For onam it can be prepared the previous day