Inji kuzhambu is an appetizing south Indian gravy for rice with tamarind and coconut base. Very flavorful and tasty kuzhambu to mix with rice and sesame oil.
This ginger gravy is best to prepare when you have less appetite or stomach upset, though you can make it on regular days as well.
I always make my Inji thuvaiyal recipe when we feel like including ginger and big fan of this allam chutney recipe I make for pesarattu. Do check it out.
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Ingredients
Ingredients for this kuzhambu is pretty much similar to other vatha kuzhambu except for the coconut ratio and I skip garlic as I was skeptical how gonger and garlic may go together.
My MIL added and told it was good.
- Ginger
- Onion
- Tamarind
- Coconut
- Tomato
- Green chilli
- Red chilli
- Sesame oil
- Salt
- Jaggery
- Other tempering items
See recipe card for quantities.
Step by step
Extract tamarind juice
1. Soak the tamarind in hot water firstly for minimum 30 mins. I break the tamarind roughly in hot water after eyeballing lemon size. This makes it easy to get soaked.
2. After 30 minutes, mash it thoroughly with hands and extract the pulp. I used 1 cup water in total. The tamarind should have only fiber, so you have to be thorough at extracting pulp.
Strain with hands to eliminate unwanted flakes in it as well as discard the sandy remains in bottom when you strain.
Grinding part
1. Moving on to grinding part. Place coconut and chopped ginger in a mixie and grind it with ¼ cup water.
2. Grind to a paste.
Ginger kuzhambu preparation
1. Heat a kadai or pan ( I used my kalchatti) to begin with. Add sesame oil and let it become hot. Add all the tempering items one by one.
2. Now add peeled small onions to it.
3. Cook furthermore until soft in medium flame.
4. Next in goes roughly chopped tomato.
5. Continue cooking for a minute or until it is soft.
Prepare gravy
6. After that pour in the extracted tamarind juice. Add one more cup water.
7. Bring to boil. Simmer for 2 mins until the raw smell goes away.
8. Add the ground paste and adjust water if needed (upto ½ cup).
9. In goes turmeric, salt, jaggery and mix well.
10. Simmer for 10 mins or until the inji kuzhambu turns thick.
11. Switch off flame.
Video
Is video more your thing? Watch quick video to prepare inji kuzhambu in my Youtube channel.
Substitutions
You can adapt your own method of making any puli kuzhambu/ vatha kuzhambu and prepare this.
Coconut - Many of you might think if you can skip coconut. Yes you can!
Just make sure to balance the spice and tanginess accordingly.
My MIL adds coconut for balancing the tastes in this tamarind based gravy. I too feel coconut balances taste as well as the acidic nature of ginger and tamarind that can be harsh on tummy.
You can reduce the amount to half as mentioned too.
Spice - If you had noticed, there is not spice powder in this recipe. Just the chillies and spice from ginger. Yes ginger has a natural spicy nature.
I added both green chilli and red chilli as suggested, but you can use any one of them as well.
Other variations - You can add 10 garlic flakes along small onion and if you want skip tomato as well.
Variations
You can alter the recipe according to your taste and family preference.
- Spicy - Add extra chilli or ½ teaspoon black pepper powder.
- Vegetables - You can add your favorite vegetable in the gravy.
- Kid friendly - Reduce spice and use ghee while mixing with rice.
See this sukku milagu kuzhambu recipe on my website!
Equipment
I usually saute in kadai until that part and transfer to regular vessel I use everyday. But after I received kalchatti, I started using it for such kuzhambu.
It has become one pot as well as it gives thick and thicker kuzhambu. It retains heat even after switching off the stove! affiliate link to purchase the equipment.
Storage
Since adding coconut it can be good for 2-3 days in fridge. At room temperature, it will be good just for a day.
Top tip
According to the chilli's spice level you use, adjust the numbers. Some chilli are too spicy. Use just two in that case.
Recipe card
Inji kuzhambu recipe
Equipments (Amazon Affiliate links)
- Kalchatti
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Ginger 50 grams
- ¼ cup Small onion
- 1 tablespoon Tamarind Small lemon size
- ½ cup Coconut
- 1 Tomato
- ½ teaspoon Jaggery
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
- Salt
Other tempering items
- 3 tablespoon Sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon Mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds Vendhayam
- 1 teaspoon Toor dal Thuvaram paruppu
- ½ teaspoon Urad dal Ulutham paruppu
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 Red chilli
- 3 Green chilli
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
Instructions
Tamarind extract
- Soak the tamarind in hot water firstly for minimum 30 mins. I break the tamarind roughly in hot water after eyeballing lemon size. This makes it easy to get soaked.1 tablespoon Tamarind
- After 30 minutes, mash it thoroughly with hands and extract the pulp. I used 1 cup water in total. The tamarind should have only fiber, so you have to be thorough at extracting pulp.
- Strain with hands to eliminate unwanted flakes in it as well as discard the sandy remains in bottom when you strain.
Grinding part
- Moving on to grinding part. Place coconut and chopped ginger in a mixie and grind it with ¼ cup water.⅓ cup Ginger, ½ cup Coconut
- Grind to a paste.
Ginger kuzhambu preparation
- Heat a kadai or pan ( I used my kalchatti) to begin with. Add sesame oil and let it become hot. Add all the tempering items one by one.3 tablespoon Sesame oil, ½ teaspoon Mustard, ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds, 1 teaspoon Toor dal, ½ teaspoon Urad dal, 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds, 1 Red chilli, 3 Green chilli, 1 sprig Curry leaves
- Now add peeled small onions to it.¼ cup Small onion
- Cook furthermore until soft in medium flame.
- Next in goes roughly chopped tomato.1 Tomato
- Continue cooking for a minute or until it is soft.
Prepare gravy
- After that pour in the extracted tamarind juice. Add one more cup water.
- Bring to boil. Simmer for 2 mins until the raw smell goes away.
- Add the ground paste and adjust water if needed (upto ½ cup).
- In goes turmeric, salt, jaggery and mix well.½ teaspoon Jaggery, Salt, ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
- Simmer for 10 mins or until the inji kuzhambu turns thick.
- Switch off flame.
Video
Notes
- According to the chilli's spice level you use, adjust the numbers. Some chilli are too spicy. Use just two in that case.
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