Kerala Inji Curry (puli inji) is a tangy ginger chutney made with fresh ginger, tamarind, and jaggery. This traditional Kerala recipe is a condiment that’s a staple commonly served with rice as part of a feast such as Onam Sadhya or Vishu Sadhya.
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Inji curry (puli inji or inji puli) is a ginger chutney that adds sharp, tangy flavor to any meal. “Puli” means sour, and “Inji” means ginger in Malayalam, and ginger really is front and center in this recipe. It’s the main ingredient rather than just a flavoring!
This recipe gets its unique sweet and sour taste from the combination of jaggery and tamarind. Although it’s called a curry, it’s more like a pickle or chutney.
I like making a big batch of this ginger chutney because it keeps well in the refrigerator and gets better over time.
It’s delicious even with plain rice, but it’s also a great option if you want to add a punch of bold flavor to any dish.
This recipe is part of the traditional Onam sadhya spread, where it’s served alongside other Kerala dishes on a banana leaf (image below).
➡ If you’re looking for more Onam recipes, try Kerala parippu, mango pachadi, cucumber pachadi (kichadi), vegetable stew, potato stew (ishtu), kootu curry, carrot beans thoran, sambar, and semiya payasam.
Inji Curry Recipe Ingredients and Tips
➡ If you’re new to Kerala cooking, start with my Kerala Cooking Basics guide for ingredient tips, shopping advice, and more authentic recipes.
🧂 Ingredients
💡 Tips for Ginger Relish or Pickle
🫚 Ginger: Use fresh, tender, juicy ginger. If the ginger is too mature or fibrous, the chutney won’t have the right texture. Peel, then cut the ginger into thin, even pieces to ensure they fry well. Fry the ginger until golden brown and crispy.
🥄 Flavor: This is one of those recipes that you need to make to your own tastes. The flavor is supposed to be a balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy. At the end, taste and adjust the seasonings by adding salt, jaggery, or chili powder.
🍋 Tamarind: I prefer to use fresh tamarind pulp that’s soaked in hot water. It gives a fresher flavor. If you have to use tamarind concentrate, start with 2 teaspoons and add more to taste.
🍯 Jaggery: Jaggery is an unrefined sugar used extensively in Indian recipes. It’s available as disks (that can be grated) or as a powder. Use brown sugar as an alternative, but there will be a taste difference.
🥥 Coconut Oil: Coconut oil gives this curry its authentic flavor. You can use vegetable oil too.
🌿 Curry Leaves: Curry leaves are essential to Kerala cooking, and that includes this recipe. There is no substitute. They are available at Indian grocery stores and keep well in the freezer. If you can’t get them, omit.
🌶️ Chilies: This recipe uses both dried Kashmiri chilies and green chilies. The spice level is medium spicy. Adjust quantity to your tastes or omit one or the other.
🧅 Shallots: You can use shallots, yellow onions, or red onions.
🫘 Fenugreek: Grind fenugreek seeds in a spice grinder to get a powder. You can also purchase fenugreek powder, but freshly ground is best.
🥣 Hing (Asafoetida): Asafoetida powder is a very pungent spice, so make sure you store it properly sealed.
❓ FAQS
No, fresh ginger is needed for this recipe. Dried ginger has a completely different flavor.
It should be thick like a chutney, not watery. It will thicken as it cools. The Inji curry should coat the back of a spoon and be the consistency of a thick ketchup or mayonnaise.
It keeps well in a ceramic or glass jar in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, maybe even longer. But I wouldn’t know because it never lasts that long! The flavors actually develop more over time. Always use a clean, dry spoon to prevent contamination.
Yes, I actually like to double it because it’s so popular with my family, and keeps well in the refrigerator. Double all ingredients except the mustard seeds. Add an extra ¼ teaspoon instead.
🥕 How to Make Inji Curry
- Soak the tamarind in hot water for 30 minutes. Strain out the solids and reserve the liquid.
- Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a medium heavy-bottomed pot. Add the julienned ginger to the hot oil.
- Fry the ginger over medium heat, stirring frequently, until crispy and golden. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Allow to cool completely.
- Finely mince the ginger using a knife or in a food processor and set aside.
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds and cover. When they have stopped popping, add the dry chili pepper, curry leaves, and green chili.
- Add the shallots and sauté until golden brown.
- Turn off the heat and stir in fenugreek powder, asafoetida powder, red chili powder, turmeric, salt, and jaggery. Add the tamarind (to taste), bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until thickened and the consistency of mayonnaise.
- Add the ginger and heat through. Adjust salt to taste.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Authentic Inji Curry Recipe – Kerala Ginger Curry (Puli Inji)
Ingredients
- 1 inch piece tamarind [See Note 1]
- ½ cup hot water more as needed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil + 1 tsp
- 4 oz ginger peeled and julienned very thinly (113 grams) [See Note 2]
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 whole Kashmiri chili
- 8 curry leaves
- 1 green chili slit lengthwise
- 2 tablespoon shallots minced
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek powder (methi)
- ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 2 to 3 tablespoon jaggery powder or to taste
Instructions
- Soak 1 inch piece tamarind in ½ cup hot water for 30 minutes. Strain out the solids and reserve the liquid.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a medium saucepan and fry the 4 oz ginger until it’s crisp and deep golden brown. Stir constantly. Drain on paper towels.
- Once cool, grind the ginger in a food processor.
- Heat 1 teaspoon coconut oil. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, cover and once it stops popping, add 1 whole Kashmiri chili, 8 curry leaves, 1 green chili, and 2 tablespoon shallots and fry till golden brown. [See Note 2]
- Turn off heat and stir in ¼ teaspoon fenugreek powder, ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida (hing), ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, and 2 to 3 tablespoon jaggery powder.
- Add the reserved tamarind water. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened and the consistency of mayonnaise. Add more hot water if needed.
- Add the ginger and heat through. Taste and adjust for salt, sourness, and sweetness.
Notes
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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