Puli Inji (Ginger pickle with tamarind)

No feast is complete without Puli inji which has got a sour and sweet taste. After a hearty meal this is served along with curd rice which is good for digestion. I have modified my mother's recipe by grinding ginger and green chillies instead of chopping - as my daughter doesn't like to eat the chopped ginger and green chilly pieces in the pickle. This can be refrigerated and used for 2 weeks.



Ingredients
Ginger - approx. 100 gms
Tamarind - approx. lemon size (soak in a cup of water)
Jaggery - 2 tablespoons
Green chillies - 4/5
Salt to taste ( I used 2 teaspoons of salt for this recipe)

Seasoning
Sesame oil - 3 tablespoons
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1 teaspoon

Procedure
1. Wash ginger and peel the skin. Grind to a smooth paste in a mixie.

2. Grind the green chillies along with ginger.

3. In a pan heat 3 tablespoons of sesame oil. Season it with mustard seeds. Add the ginger/green chilly paste, salt and turmeric.

4. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Take a thick syrup out of  tamarind (just one cup of water) and add that to the pan.

5. Add jaggery and simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes.

6. Once the oil separates, remove from fire.

7. This can be refrigerated and used for a week or two.