Inji Curry

Ginger tamarind pickle-curry — fresh ginger peeled and cut into small pieces, fried in coconut oil until golden and slightly crisp, then a concentrated paste made from tamarind, jaggery, dried red chilli, mustard seeds, and curry leaves cooked down in the same oil until thick and dark. The fried ginger pieces are added to the thick, sweet-sour-spicy base and simmered briefly until the ginger absorbs the tamarind and jaggery. The result is a thick, dark-brown, intensely flavoured condiment that is simultaneously sweet from the jaggery, sour from the tamarind, hot from the ginger and chilli, and bitter from the fenugreek seeds. Served in a small portion on the Onam Sadya banana leaf as one of the essential pickled condiments; considered a mandatory part of any authentic Kerala feast. A Travancore speciality rarely seen outside Kerala.