Puli Inji

Puli Inji, a sweet and sour pickle or sauce in an essential finger-licking side dish served as part of Kerala Sadya.This is a sweet and sour ginger pickle from Kerala where ginger is cooked in a sweet and tangy tamarind sauce.Though there are many side dishes prepared for sadya like avialy, Kootu Curry, Kaalan, Olan, Saambhar,pickle,etc... no sadya is served without puliy inji.This is the first dish which i will prepare a week before Onam comes....The first lick on this tangy sauce makes your taste buds stand up and enjoy your meal.This is awesome.Each home it is prepared in differently fried ginger , tamarind and jaggery being the stars of this dish. This comes in the category of 'thodu curry's. So do prepare this to have a complete authentic meal from Kerala.

Ingredients

1. Ginger skin removed and sliced - 3/4 cup
2. Tamarind - 2 lime size balls soaked in 1 cup warm water
3. Green Chilli - 3 chopped
4. Curr Leaves - 2 Sprigs
5. Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
6. Dry Red Chilli - 3
7. Jaggery / Sharkara grated - 3/4 cup
8. Water - 1 cup
9. Turmeric powder - 1 Tsp
10. Red chilli powder - 1 Tbsp
11. Asafoetida/ Kaayam - 1/4 Tsp 
12. Fenugreek/ Uluva/Methi seeds - 1 Tsp
13. Salt - as needed
14. Coconut Oil - as required

Preparation

• Heat an earthen pot / non- stick sauce pan (not iron pan),  add coconut oil,splutter mustard seeds, then add dry red chilli and 1 sprig of curry leaves .
• Add green chilli and sliced ginger and fry nicely to golden brown. Keep aside.

• Squeeze the soaked tamarind,extract the juice and keep aside.
• In the same pot/pan add grated jaggery, tamarind extract, water, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, asafoetida,1 sprig of curry leaves and salt. Mix well.
• Let it boil and cook on low flame,till the gravy thickens and reduce to pulpy texture.

• Now add the fried ginger mix, kept aside and mix well and remove from heat.
• Heat a pan, add fenugreek seeds and dry roast it. Immediately powder it using a mortar. Add this to the prepared tangy sauce. Mix well.

• Let it cool and reach room temperature before store it in air tight container. You can serve it after one hour of preparation. If stored properly will last for 3 weeks.