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    Home » Pickles » Inji Puli Milagai Pachadi | Ginger Tamarind Chilli Gojju

    Inji Puli Milagai Pachadi | Ginger Tamarind Chilli Gojju

    Posted on August 5, 2019 · Last Updated on August 10, 2019 · By Srividhya G · 29 Comments

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    Inji Puli Milagai is a sweet, spicy and tangy gravy with green chilies and ginger simmered in a tamarind sauce. Call it a pickle or sauce or gravy or thick stew; this lip-smacking easy-to-make ginger tamarind and chili gojju will surely tingle your tastebuds.  So happy to share the detailed recipe of this inji puli milagai recipe handed down by my mom.

    top angle of inji puli milagaiPuli milagai as we say in Tamil which is Green chili in tamarind sauce is quite popular in Tamil Nadu. And puli inji or inji puli or ginger with the hint of green chili in tamarind sauce is quite popular in Kerala. Puli inji is part of the onam feast menu too.  I had mentioned this on my blog before that my mom’s maternal relatives lived in Kerala. Her food is the amalgamation of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil cuisine. (We are Kannadigas born and bought up in Tamilnadu). So is her cooking. :-) This puli milagai is a perfect example of one such amalgamation. 

    Now let’s talk about the recipe in detail.

    For this recipe, all you need to do is chop ginger and green chili and simmer in tamarind sauce along with jaggery and salt. If you want it like gravy for rice or dosa, add more water. If you want it like a pickle, reduce the water quantity.  But my mom simmers it for a long time, so it thickens and makes it more like a gojju/thick stew. If you are looking for some other gojju recipes, then check my wild lemon gojju and also tomato gojju recipes.

    Before getting into the nitty-gritty details of this inji puli milagai, let me share why I absolutely love this gojju.

    ✓ It is versatile. You can serve this as a pickle or serve it as a side for rice, especially yogurt rice, idli, and dosa. I love mixing this with plain steamed rice with a dollop of sesame oil.

    ✓ It has longer shelf-life. When refrigerated and when you use a clean spoon every single time, it stays good for up to ten days.

    ✓ Easy to make.

    ✓ Of course, the kick and taste that tingles the palate.

    ginger chili and tamarind gravy in a steel bowl on top of a orange napkin

    Ginger & Chili Measure:

    We use an equal measure of chili and ginger for this recipe. But don’t worry, the jaggery and the oil subside the spiciness. Like every other pickle, we need more oil for this one as well. I used ½ cup sesame oil for this chili and ginger measure. You can adjust the chili and ginger proportion according to your preference. You can either reduce the ginger amount or chili amount. The other option is you can use equal measure but the increase the jaggery amount. You adjust the quantity of the ingredients depending upon the spice preference.

    Prep-Work for the Inji Puli Milagai:

    • I used 11 green chilies of this size below, and when chopped as thin sticks, I got half a cup. (PS: I made this recipe in India, and I got the readily available green chilies from the vegetable vendor. ) Same with ginger as well. We sliced it thinly like below. You can also reduce the spice level by removing the seeds from green chilies before chopping.

    chili and ginger used

    • I used small lime-sized seedless tamarind block for this recipe. If you are using a paste, you use 1.5 tbsp to 2 tbsp depending upon the tamarind sourness. Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of water for 30 to 45 minutes and extract the juice. If you are using paste, mix it in 2 cups of water.

    tamarind used for puli milagai

    • Here is the picture of the three main ingredients, green chili, ginger, and tamarind.

    main ingredients used for ginger chili tamarind pickle

    How to make this inji puli milagai?

    • Heat a kadai or heavy-bottom vessel and add the sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, and asafetida. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.

    mustard seed tempering

    • Then add the chopped ginger and green chili.

    adding chopped green chilies and ginger to the tempering

    • Mix well and saute for two to minutes.

    sauteing chilies and ginger

    • After sauteing, this how it will look – green chilies slightly fried.

    chilies and ginger after cooked

    • Then add the tamarind juice, followed by turmeric powder and salt.

    adding tamarind juice and salt and turmeric

    • Let it simmer for 10 minutes over medium-low heat.

    puli inji simmering

    • And then add the jaggery. Mix thoroughly and simmer it again 8 to 10 minutes. The mixture will slowly thicken, and the oil will float on top. That’s the right stage to turn off the heat.

    inji puli milagai after cooked

    • Let it cool before storing it in an air-tight container. You can serve this as a side for yogurt rice, idli, dosa and also mix it with rice and relish.

    inji puli milagai in a bowl with a spoon inside

    Recipe Notes:

    • If you want thin consistency, after adding jaggery, add half more cup of water and simmer it for just 5 minutes. If you want a thick consistency, extract the tamarind juice with 1 cup of water instead of two cups and also after adding jaggery simmer it for 3 to 4 minutes or until the jaggery melts.
    • Adjust the ingredients, including salt and jaggery according to your spice preference.
    • Allow it to cool completely before refrigerating.
    • Instead of sesame oil, you can use peanut oil or any other neutral oil. I have never tried this with coconut oil or vegetable oil.

    PS: Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates. If you try this inji puli milagai, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. 

    inji puli milagai in a steel bowl with curry leaves on the side
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    5 from 1 vote

    Inji Puli Milagai Pachadi | Ginger Tamarind Chilli Gojju

    Inji Puli Milagai is a sweet, spicy and tangy gravy with green chilies and ginger simmered in a tamarind sauce.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time35 mins
    Total Time50 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: South Indian
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 178kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup sesame oil
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
    • 1 sprig curry leaves approx 20 leaves
    • 1 tsp asafetida
    • ½ cup green chilies thinly sliced
    • ½ cup ginger peeled and thinly sliced
    • 1 tsp turmeric powder
    • 2.5 tbsp coarse sea salt
    • lime-sized seedless tamarind block
    • 2 cups water
    • ⅓ cup jaggery grated

    Instructions

    Prep-Work:

    • Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of water for 30 to 45 minutes and extract the juice. If you are using paste, mix it in 2 cups of water. For this measure, you can use 1.5 to 2 tbsp of tamarind paste.

    Instructions:

    • Heat a kadai or heavy-bottom vessel and add the sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, and asafetida. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
    • Then add the chopped ginger and green chili. Mix well and saute for two to minutes.
    • Then add the tamarind juice, followed by turmeric powder and salt.
    • Let it simmer for 10 minutes over medium-low heat and then add the jaggery. Mix thoroughly and simmer it again 8 to 10 minutes. The mixture will slowly thicken, and the oil will float on top. That's the right stage to turn off the heat.
    • Let it cool, before storing it in an air-tight container. You can serve this as a side for yogurt rice, idli, dosa and also mix it with rice and relish.

    Notes

    • If you want thin consistency, after adding jaggery, add half more cup of water and simmer it for just 5 minutes. If you want a thick consistency, extract the tamarind juice with 1 cup of water instead of two cups and also after adding jaggery simmer it for 3 to 4 minutes or until the jaggery melts.
    • Adjust the ingredients, including salt and jaggery according to your spice preference.
    • Allow it to cool completely before refrigerating.
    • Instead of sesame oil, you can use peanut oil or any other neutral oil. I have never tried this with coconut oil or vegetable oil.
    • You can also reduce the spice level by removing the seeds from green chilies before chopping.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 2217mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 95IU | Vitamin C: 51.6mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.5mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
    For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel

    Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2016 but now updated with new photos.

    279 shares
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    Filed Under: Festivals, Onam, Pickles Tagged With: inji puli, puli inji, puli milagai, puli milahai, puli pachadi

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mireille Roc (@ChefMireille) says

      January 31, 2016 at 9:43 pm

      what a flavorful combo

      Reply
    2. gayathriraani says

      January 24, 2016 at 6:38 am

      What an authentic pachadi. Looks so inviting..

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 24, 2016 at 6:03 pm

        Thanks Gayathri.

        Reply
    3. Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      January 22, 2016 at 3:32 pm

      Absolutely love this puli inji. I like the thinner version personally. Love it with some dosa :)

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 24, 2016 at 6:06 pm

        Thanks Sandhya. Me too love the thinner version.

        Reply
    4. Suma Gandlur says

      January 22, 2016 at 2:50 pm

      It sounds like one spicy gojju.

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 24, 2016 at 6:06 pm

        Yup.. Thanks :-)

        Reply
    5. harini says

      January 21, 2016 at 8:21 pm

      Wow! a tempting pachadi there.

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 24, 2016 at 6:07 pm

        Thanks Harini.

        Reply
    6. Priya says

      January 16, 2016 at 2:01 pm

      Omg, this pachadi is tempting me..seriously my mouth is watering here.

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 16, 2016 at 8:36 pm

        Thanks Priya

        Reply
    7. cookingwithsapana says

      January 14, 2016 at 8:10 am

      Tamarind chilli gojju looks very tempting.

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 14, 2016 at 8:50 pm

        Thanks Sapana

        Reply
    8. Rajani says

      January 13, 2016 at 7:20 pm

      I love puli inji. Its been in the to do list for a long time, but yet to try making it.

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 13, 2016 at 7:47 pm

        :-) Do try it and let me know. Thanks

        Reply
    9. Pavani says

      January 13, 2016 at 6:06 pm

      Such a flavorful and delicious gojju. Looks awesome.

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 13, 2016 at 6:37 pm

        Thanks Pavani

        Reply
    10. Sowmya:) says

      January 13, 2016 at 7:08 am

      Sounds yumm! My mother in law makes a similar dish which we love!
      Your pic is awesome!

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 13, 2016 at 2:42 pm

        Thanks Sowmya

        Reply
    11. CHCooks says

      January 13, 2016 at 1:55 am

      Inji Puli is what I have heard.. very nice recipe Sri :)

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 13, 2016 at 2:41 pm

        yeah GB. Its pretty much the same. In our household they use more chillies than ginger and hence the name. Its a cross between milagai thokku and inji puli.

        Reply
    12. Kalyani says

      January 13, 2016 at 1:49 am

      yummmm ! I think my elder kid and husband might like this… looks like something we can have with Pongal / rava Kichadi too :) bookmarkin this ! thanks Vidhya :)

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 13, 2016 at 2:45 pm

        Thanks Kalyani

        Reply
    13. kushigalu says

      January 12, 2016 at 7:12 pm

      This sounds interesting. Sweet, spicy and tangy :-)

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 12, 2016 at 8:25 pm

        Thanks :-)

        Reply
    14. Traditionally Modern Food says

      January 12, 2016 at 4:52 pm

      V call it Puli inji:-) my fav too yum

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 12, 2016 at 8:28 pm

        Thanks Vidya.. Yeah this recipe seems to have many names. :-)

        Reply
        • POONGUZHALI says

          August 06, 2019 at 6:45 pm

          We don’t wants to grind the inji mam? It looks yummy i love it ?????

          Reply
          • Srividhya G says

            August 06, 2019 at 7:07 pm

            No pa. We don’t need to grind for this recipe.

            Reply

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