புளி இஞ்சி

PULI INJI

Fresh Ginger - 3 to 4" piece 1

Tamarind - a small lemon size

Jaggery - a small piece

Red Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Fenugreek Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Asafoetida Powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - 1 teaspoon or as per taste

Inji Puli, also known as Puli Inji is a Kerala special pickle. It is normally prepared with ginger, green / red chillies, tamarind, jaggery and coconut oil. I have tried this pickle with gingelly oil and without green chillies.
Method:
Wash the ginger and scrap the skin. Chop it into fine pieces until you have about two tablespoons.
Soak tamarind in a cup of warm water and squeeze out the juice.
In a frying pan add the oil and then mustard. When the mustard pops up, add chopped ginger and fry till its raw smell disappears and changes to slight brown. Add tamarind extract and stir well. Allow the contents to boil for a few minutes. Decrease the oven heat and add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and salt. Stir well and allow to boil. Then add jaggery and allow to cook on medium flame till it become semi solid. Finally add fenugreek powder and remove from stove.

Rajappa
28-06-2014

இஞ்சி தொக்கு

GINGER THOKKU

Ginger – 4 to 5 big pieces

Red Chillies – 8 to 10

Fenugreek – 1 teaspoon

Mustard – 2 teaspoons

Tamarind – lemon size

Jaggery – lemon size

Salt - 2 teaspoon or as per taste

Oil - 3 to 4 tablespoons

Method:
Wash the ginger, scrap the skin and cut it into small pieces.
Soak tamarind in little hot water.
In a kadai put the fenugreek and dry fry till it become slightly pink. Do not over fry. Remove and powder it.
Put the oil in a kadai and when it is hot, add ginger pieces and fry till it slightly changes its colour. Remove and keep it aside.
Same kadai, add mustard and when it pops up, add red chillies and fry just for a second and remove.
First Grind ginger, soaked tamarind (along with the water in which it is soaked), jaggery to a fine paste. Before removing, add seasoned mustard and red chillies along with fenugreek powder, salt and grind it once again.
Note:If you do not want, you can omit jaggery. In that case, you can reduce the chillies.

Rajappa
28-06-2014

கொத்துமல்லி தொக்கு

CORIANDER LEAF THOKKU

Coriander leaves – 1 bunch

Red Chillies – 5 to 6

Tamarind – a big gooseberry size

Urad dhal – 2 tablespoons

Asafotida – a small piece

Salt – 1 teaspoon or as per taste

Oil – 2 teaspoon

Method:
Wash the coriander leaves and spread it on a clean towel and allow to dry in shade. Then chop them into small pieces.
In a kadai put the oil and fry asafetida and urad dhal till it turns light brown. Then add tamarind and fry for a while. Then add red chillies and fry just for a second and remove. Then put the coriander leaves and fry for few seconds. Remove and cool it. First put the fried dhal/chilli/tamarind in a mixie along with salt and grind it to a coarse powder. Then add the coriander leaves and grind it two or three rounds without adding any water.
This can be taken with idli/dosa or with curd rice. Also it can be mixed with hot rice along with a teaspoon of ghee or gingelly oil.

Rajappa
28-06-2014

கறிவேப்பிலை தொக்கு

To Grind:

Curry leaves (Kariveppilai) - 2 cups

Tamarind - a small lemon size

Fresh ginger - a small piece

To Powder:

Bengal gram dhal - 1 tablespoon

Urad dhal - 1 tablespoon

Black Pepper - 1 teaspoon

Jeera - 1 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon

Asafotida - A small gooseberry size

Red chillies - 8 Nos

Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon

For seasoning:

Gingelly oil - 1/2 cup

Mustard - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves - few

Salt - 1 teaspoon or as per taste

Method:
First grind the curry leaves, tamarind, ginger to a coarse paste.
Fry the items to be powdered in a teaspoon of oil separately, cool it and powder it.
In a kadai pour the oil and when it is hot, add mustard. When it pops up add curry leaves and curry leaves paste along with turmeric powder and salt. Fry the paste for five minutes on low flame. Then add the ground powder and fry again for a few minutes. The oil will float on top. Switch off the stove and cool it. Store it in a jar.
Note: You can use this thokku like Puzhi Kaichal and mix with hot rice. Goes well with curd rice also.

Rajappa

28-06-2014

தக்காளி தொக்கு

Tomato (medium size) – 4 Nos

Tamarind - A gooseberry size

Red Chilli Powder – 1 and 1/2 teaspoon

Fenugreek - 1 teaspoon

Fresh ginger – 1” length

Gingelly oil – 5 tablespoon

Mustard – 1 teaspoon

Asafoetida Powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Jaggery powdered - 1 teaspoon (Optional)

Salt – 1 teaspoon or as per taste

Method:
Soak tamarind in a little hot water.
Put 4 to 5 cups water in a vessel and bring to boil. When it starts boiling, add the tomatos and close with lid. Cook for three minutes. Switch the stove off. Gently take out the tomatos and remove the skin. Allow to cool. Put this unskinned tomatoes along with soaked tamarind in a mixie and make a fine paste. Keep aside.
Grind the ginger to a fine paste.
In a small kadai put the fenugreek seeds and dry fry till it turn golden brown. Cool it and powder it finely.
In a kadai pour the oil and when it is hot, add mustard. When it crackles, add asafoetida powder. Add ginger paste and fry for a while. Then add the tomato paste along with red chilli powder and salt. Stir well. Add jaggery powder. Cook in low flame stirring now and then till it become thick and oil starts oozing out. Add fenugreek powder and mix well. Remove from stove and store it in a clean jar.
Stay good for weeks without refrigeration. Goes well with Curd Rice. Can also be served with Idli/Dosa/Chapathi.

Rajappa
28-06-2014