G is for Ginger

Posted on | March 10, 2007 | 9 Comments |

Is Ginger a spice or vegetable? I’m not sure if Ginger qualifies for the A to Z of Indian Vegetables event, since the instructions specifically says, use a vegetable, and I think of ginger as predominantly a spice. But if I use Ginger as the main ingredient in a dish, it could be considered a vegetable, right?

Vegetable or not, noone would disagree on the greatness of Ginger, it has been used as a medicine in India for generations. Ginger is a great remedy for a lot of digestive disorders. Ginger in hot tea is a very common treatment for cold in a lot Asian countries, and hey, it is even considered an aphrodisiac!

Ginger curry or Injikkari / Puliyinji as it is known in Kerala, has been blogged by many fellow bloggers, but each version is a little different, and my recipe is different from all the ones that I found. This is the way my mom makes it, she normally makes everything very simple, this recipe uses way too less ingredients than most other ones I have seen, and I love the flavors in this dish! Ginger Curry is supposed to be a side dish, to be had as a pickle, but this is one of my favorites that I have it like a regular curry with rice.

Here is my recipe for Ginger Curry:

Ingredients

1/2 cup Ginger skinned and sliced into thin pieces
1/2 cup shredded coconut
3 dry red chilies
1 cardamom
2 cloves
6 curry leaves
1 small shallot diced
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tsp brown sugar
salt for taste
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp oil

Method

In a pan, dry roast the coconut till brown. Remove the coconut and add a little bit of oil and fry the ginger pieces , when the ginger pieces starts to brown, add the red chilies, cardamom, cloves and curry leaves to the pan and fry till the ginger is a fried well.

In a spice grinder(coffee grinder), process the fried ingredients till smooth (I found that it grinds better dry, I add water and process once more, after the ingredients are powdered well.).

In a pan, add the remaining oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Add the diced shallots and fry till brown. Add the ground ingredients with half a cup of water and the tamarind paste, and bring to a boil. Add the brown sugar and the salt, taste and adjust the salt and sugar. When the mixture is bubbling, and the oil starts splashing on your hands, it is time to switch off the stove.

This dish has a really strong sweet and sour taste, it goes well with steamed rice , some mild veg gravy and a veg stir fry.

This is my contribution for the letter”G” in the A to Z of Indian Vegetables by Nupur from One Hot Stove, if she will accept Ginger as a vegetable

Technorati tags: Recipes, Kerala Recipes, Ginger

Category: Chutneys and Dips and Pickles, Ginger, India - Kerala, Recipes, Vegetarian

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Comments

9 Responses to “G is for Ginger”

Nupur
March 10th, 2007 @ 11:10 am
Reply

I was really hoping that someone would send in an entry with “ginger”…it is a veggie/spice so beloved in Indian cooking. So, thanks for making my wishes come true
Love this spicy curry, and thanks for sharing a family recipe!
Asha
March 10th, 2007 @ 1:21 pm
Reply

As long as it’s not meat,it’s okay for her!:))
Looks great,I will try this dish.I have got two G’s at Aroma!:))
I cooked Eggs too for you,will post later.
Susan
March 10th, 2007 @ 2:10 pm
Reply

I’m with you Sig. Call it a spice or a vegetable. It’s perfection! I always have several knobs of ginger in my kitchen. From curries to teas to salad dressings, it just enlivens whatever recipe you use it in. Your dish looks and sounds so comforting and delicious. And since I’ve got some fresh ginger here, today’s lunch must just begin with a “G.”
Sig
March 10th, 2007 @ 7:48 pm
Reply

Nupur, thanks, I knew you wouldn’t mind

Asha, yeah I saw the double Gs in Aroma You are too good.. And eggs, hey I am eggcited

Susan, isn’t ginger great? Hope you make that G dish today.
bee (jugalbandi.info)
March 10th, 2007 @ 10:31 pm
Reply

i’ve never tasted puliinji with coconut. this recipe is unique.
Nandita
March 11th, 2007 @ 11:26 am
Reply

You are on a roll babes! Erissery, ginger curry, cooking up a storm in your kitchen…i’ve never used more than the regular tsp/tbsp of ginger – would love to see how i like this intense ginger curry! Hope you having a great weekend
Sig
March 11th, 2007 @ 6:52 pm
Reply

Bee, after you said that I remember tasting some puliinji without coconut, I like the ones with coconut better, coconut kind of softens the ginger taste.

Nandita, definitely try this, i know you will like it… Weekend is going great, I am just grumpy today that I lost an hour DST started today…
swapna
March 11th, 2007 @ 11:43 pm
Reply

hai sig
thanku very much for dropping by my blog..u have a great site with variety of recipes.Ginger curry is looking good!!very interesting!!
Sushma
March 17th, 2007 @ 6:44 pm
Reply

Hello Sig,

Came across your blog from Asha’s..you have a very nice blog…would like to try the ginger curry…thanxs for sharing
-Sushma