Puliyinji (Tamarind and Ginger Chutney)

Ingredients

• Tamarind – 50 g
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tbsp
• Asafoetida – 20 g
• Jaggery – 75 g
• Curry leaves – as needed
• Coconut oil – 3 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Dry red chillies (chopped) – 3
• Curry leaves – a few
• Ginger (Peel the skin and chop very finely) – 75 g
• Green chillies (chopped) – 10 g
• Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp

Preparation

Soak the tamarind well in two and a half litres of boiled water, squeeze, strain and keep aside.

To this squeezed tamarind, add one litre of water, turmeric powder, chilli powder, asafoetida, jaggery and curry leaves. Boil the mixture well.

When it begins to boil, add one small spoon of coconut oil.

Heat coconut oil in a small pan (similar to an uruli, but not made of iron) and add the mustard seeds.

When they splutter, add the chopped dry red chillies and curry leaves.

When it is well fried, add the finely chopped ginger and the green chillies and fry well.

Fry until the ginger is slightly more than three-fourths cooked, keep stirring it continuously on a low flame.

When the ginger is done well, remove the pan from the flame.

Take the three and a half litres of tamarind water that was prepared earlier and kept aside, place it on the flame and allow it to boil.

Keep boiling until it is reduced to a little more than one and a half litres.

To this tamarind, add the prepared ginger and mix well.

Roast the fenugreek seeds and powder it well.

Add this to the ginger, mix well and serve.

(by M. Anantharaman)