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    Home

    Puli Inji Recipe

    Last Updated On: Apr 6, 2025 by Aarthi

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    Puli Inji also known as inji puli, inji curry or puliyinchi is a popular Kerala style ginger pickle made with ginger, green chillies, spices cooked in a tamarind jaggery sauce to a thick jam like consistency. Puli inji is a must make dish to serve in your Onam sadya feast. Inji puli taste amazing with parippu curry, curd rice or pulissery with rice. Learn how to make perfect puli inji with step by step pictures and video. 

    Puli Inji Recipe

    Puli Inji Recipe

    Onam is on its way. So let's start making some onam special dishes. If you like sweet and tangy dishes like me then this will be your favorite. This is a must have dish in your Onam sadya. Not only in your sadya menu, you can serve this as a pickle.

    Jump to:
    • About Inji Puli (Puli Inji)
    • Watch Inji Puli Video
    • Inji Puli Ingredients
    • How to Make Inji Puli (Stepwise Pictures)
    • Expert Tips
    • FAQ
    • 📖 Recipe Card

    In fact I make a big batch of puli inji and store it in fridge. I like to serve it with my parippu curry and moru curry.

    About Inji Puli (Puli Inji)

    Puli inji also known as inji puli, Kerala ginger pickle, inji curry or inji pachadi is one of the most important curry served in your Onam sadya feast. The main ingredient used to make puli inji is ginger, green chillies, tempering spices, tamarind, jaggery. 

    Inji puli is made many different ways. Every household has their own way of making this dish. My mom makes amazing inji pachadi using coconut, raw mango which taste amazing with amma’s paruppu. In Nagercoil weddings inji pachadi is made by roasting dry red chillies, ginger, coconut till golden brown which is ground and cooked with tamarind and some jaggery to make a brown sauce like texture. 

    In Kerala puli inji is made many different styles too. Some people add shallots or sambar onion in their inji puli and some don’t. Personally I don’t prefer to use onions, I like the taste of ginger and chillies together. But if you want, you can add it.

    Some people prefer to chop ginger finely. But I like to grate the ginger so it cooks faster and also it helps with the puli inji texture. Saute ginger and chillies in coconut oil along with whole spices and spice powders. Pour tamarind pulp and jaggery and cook till thick in consistency. Puli inji tends to have more coconut oil, tamarind pulp and jaggery because it has to cook down till thick jam like texture. Using more tamarind and oil helps preserve puli inji for a long time. I have shared more important tips and variations below. 

    Similar Recipes

    Ginger Rasam

    Mango Ginger Pickle

    Ginger Kuzhambu

    Watch Inji Puli Video

    YouTube video

    Inji Puli Ingredients

    ingredients for puli inji

    Ginger  - use young ginger for making inji puli, since we are grating ginger, young ginger tends to cook faster and have pleasant taste when bitten into. Make sure you peel ginger skin using a peeler or a spoon, rinse them really well in water and grate them.

    Green chilli - you can add more or less green chillies depending on your taste and the spice level of the chilli used. 

    Tamarind - make sure you use generous amount of tamarind pulp for making puli inji. You can soak tamarind in warm water and extract thick pulp  or you can use store bought tamarind pulp. 

    Jaggery - to balance the taste of the puli inji, a good amount of jaggery is used. You can taste and add more or less depending on your taste. 

    Spice Powders - I used turmeric powder and chilli powder. 

    Coconut Oil - use generous amount of coconut oil which helps preserve this pickle and adds to the taste. 

    Tempering Spices - mustard, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida are the whole spices used for tempering. 

    close look of Puli Inji

    2 Ways of Making Inji Puli 

    Inji Puli with Onions - Heat coconut oil in a kadai. Add in tempering spices in the oil and fry till lightly golden. Add in chopped onions, grated ginger, green chillies and saute for 5 minutes. Now add in turmeric, salt, chilli powder and mix well. Pour in tamarind pulp, water, jaggery and mix well. Cook on medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes till it thickened and oil separates. 

    Inji Puli (Deep Frying Method) - This method of making inji puli requires finely chopped ginger. Chopped ginger is deep fried in coconut oil till crispy. Strain and set aside. Heat little oil in a pan, add in tempering spices and green chillies. Add in tamarind pulp, jaggery and the fried ginger. Simmer for 10 minutes. Puli inji ready to serve. This version of puli inji has longer shelf life. 

    puli inji, inji puli

    How to Make Puli Inji (4 easy steps)

    Preparing Ginger - peel ginger skin using a peeler or a spoon. Once peeled, wash ginger really well to remove any dirt. Now use a grater to grate the ginger into fine shreds.

    Tempering Spices - Heat oil in a kadai or earthern ware pot. Add in tempering spices and mix well. Let them sizzle in the oil.

    Cooking Ginger - Add ginger and green chilli and mix well. Saute this for 4 to 5 minutes till it gets slightly brown. Add in salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and stir fry for few more minutes.

    Making Puli Inji - Pour in tamarind pulp, ½ cup of water, jaggery and mix well. Bring it to a full boil, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes until it thickens. Once thickened, cool it completely. Store in an air tight jar in fridge

    a spoon of inji puli

    How to Make Inji Puli (Stepwise Pictures)

    Preparing Ginger

    1)use young ginger for making inji puli, since we are grating ginger, young ginger tends to cook faster and have pleasant taste when bitten into.

    take your ginger

    2)peel ginger skin using a peeler or a spoon. Once peeled, wash ginger really well to remove any dirt.

    peel ginger skin

    3)Now use a grater to grate the ginger into fine shreds.

    grate ginger

    Tempering Spices

    4)Heat coconut oil in a pot. I am using my earthernware pot, you can use any pot as you prefer.

    use generous amount of coconut oil which helps preserve this pickle and adds to the taste. 

    heat coconut oil

    5)Once the oil gets hot, add in mustard seeds, urad dal, dry red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Let the spices sizzle in the hot oil till golden.

    If you are making big batch and want to preserve this for longer period, you can skip urad dal in this recipe.

    add tempering spices

    Adding in Ginger

    6)Now add in grated ginger along with green chillies. Green chillies depends on your taste. You can add more or less.

    add grated ginger and green chillies

    7)Once ginger and green chillies are added, saute this in the oil for 4 to 5 minutes.

    saute till golden brown

    8)Now the raw smell of the ginger should be gone and it should have softened a bit.

    now the ginger is sauted

    9)Add in turmeric powder and chilli powder. I am using kashmiri chilli powder in this recipe.

    add turmeric and chilli powder for making Puli Inji

    10)Add in salt to taste.

    add salt for making Puli Inji

    11)Mix this really well.

    cook that well

    Making Puli Inji

    12)Add in the tamarind pulp. I am using my homemade tamarind pulp.

    If you are using fresh tamarind, just a large lemon size tamarind, soak in warm water and extract pulp. You can add more or less depending on taste.

    add tamarind pulp

    13)Add ½ cup of water to make a gravy like texture. Because we are going to simmer this even more. So it will thicken up more.

    add some water

    14)Add in jaggery. This depends on your taste. Some people prefer puli inji to be on the sweeter side, in that case you can add more.

    add jaggery and cook

    15)Mix the jaggery well into the puli inji.

    cook on low

    16)Cover and cook on low medium heat for 10 minutes till the puli inji thickens.

    cover and cook for making Puli Inji

    17)Now you can see the puli inji has thickened up and looks glossy.

    puli inji thickened

    18)Once thickened, cool it completely. Store in an air tight jar in fridge.

    Puli Inji

    Expert Tips

    • When handling ginger, make sure you peel the skin and wash them really well to remove any mud or dirt. 
    • You can use chopped ginger or grated ginger in this recipe. Make sure you saute them in oil till lightly golden before adding in tamarind pulp and jaggery.
    • Some people prefer deep frying ginger till golden, you can do that for more authentic taste.
    • Be generous with coconut oil, it helps in preserving the pickle. 

    Serving & Storage

    Puli inji is a must make dish to serve in your Onam sadya feast. Inji puli taste amazing with parippu curry, curd rice or pulissery with rice. 

    You can store puli inji in fridge for 10 days. 

    FAQ

    1)What is the meaning of Inji Puli?

    Puli inji also known as inji puli, Kerala ginger pickle, inji curry or inji pachadi is one of the most important curry served in your Onam sadya feast. The main ingredient used to make puli inji is ginger, green chillies, tempering spices, tamarind, jaggery. It is a Kerala sweet, sour and spicy ginger pickle. 

    2)What are the benefits of Inji Puli?

    Inji puli has ginger and spices which helps in relieving tummy ache and helps in digestion. 

    3)How to cook inji puli?

    Saute ginger and chillies in coconut oil along with whole spices and spice powders. Pour tamarind pulp and jaggery and cook till thick in consistency. Puli inji tends to have more coconut oil, tamarind pulp and jaggery because it has to cook down till thick jam like texture. Using more tamarind and oil helps preserve puli inji for a long time. I have shared more important tips and variations below. 

    More Pickle Recipes to try

    • Onion Pickle Recipe
    • Mango Chunda Recipe
    • Gujarati Mango Pickle Recipe
    • Quick Tomato Relish Recipe
    • Green Chilli Pickle Recipe
    • Kimchi Recipe

    📖 Recipe Card

    Puli Inji Recipe | Inji Puli Recipe | How to Make Puli Inji

    Puli Inji also known as inji puli, inji curry or puliyinchi is a popular Kerala style ginger pickle made with ginger, green chillies, spices cooked in a tamarind jaggery sauce to a thick jam like consistency. Puli inji is a must make dish to serve in your Onam sadya feast. Inji puli taste amazing with parippu curry, curd rice or pulissery with rice. Learn how to make perfect puli inji with step by step pictures and video. 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 134kcal

    Equipment

    • Peeler, Knife & Grater
    • Cooking pot

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup Ginger peeled and grated
    • 6 no Green chillies chopped finely
    • ¾ cup Tamarind Pulp (check notes)
    • 1 tsp Turmeric powder
    • 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
    • 2 tsp Salt
    • 5 tbsp Jaggery

    For Tempering:

    • 4 tbsp Coconut oil
    • 1 tsp Mustard seeds
    • ½ tsp Fenugreek seeds
    • 2 no Dry red chilli broken into pie ces
    • 1 tsp Asafoetida
    • 1 sprig Curry leaves

    Instructions

    • Peel ginger skin using a peeler or a spoon. Once peeled, wash ginger really well to remove any dirt. Now use a grater to grate the ginger into fine shreds.
    • Heat oil in a kadai or earthern ware pot. Add in tempering spices and mix well. Let them sizzle in the oil.
    • Add ginger and green chilli and mix well. Saute this for 4 to 5 minutes till it gets slightly brown. Add in salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and stir fry for few more minutes.
    • Pour in tamarind pulp, ½ cup of water, jaggery and mix well. Bring it to a full boil, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes until it thickens.
    • Once thickened, cool it completely. Store in an air tight jar in fridge.

    Video

    YouTube video

    Notes

    • When handling ginger, make sure you peel the skin and wash them really well to remove any mud or dirt.
    • You can use chopped ginger or grated ginger in this recipe. Make sure you saute them in oil till lightly golden before adding in tamarind pulp and jaggery.
    • Some people prefer deep frying ginger till golden, you can do that for more authentic taste.
    • Be generous with coconut oil, it helps in preserving the pickle.
    • If you are using fresh tamarind, just a large lemon size tamarind, soak in warm water and extract pulp. You can add more or less depending on taste. 

    Serving & Storage

    Puli inji is a must make dish to serve in your Onam sadya feast. Inji puli taste amazing with parippu curry, curd rice or pulissery with rice.
    You can store puli inji in fridge for 10 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servings | Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 597mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 164IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @yummytummyaarthi or tag #yummytummyaarthi!
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    More Onam Sadya Recipes to Try

    • Udupi Sambar Recipe
    • Arisi Payasam Recipe (Rice Kheer)
    • Mango Pachadi Recipe
    • Arisi Thengai Payasam Recipe
    • Raw Mango Pachadi Recipe
    • Ugadi Pachadi Recipe

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    Tomato Pachadi Recipe »
    Aarthi

    About Aarthi

    Over the past few years I’ve been on a mission to find and create recipes that I can make from scratch. I hope you enjoy the recipes on this blog as they are tried and true from my kitchen to yours!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Pretend Chef

      at

      Sounds interesting. I'd like to give this a try over rice.

      Reply
    2. Sobha Shyam

      at

      this is my fav, a must in our sadyas, looks absolutely irresistible..

      Reply
    3. julie

      at

      I too love inji puli..feel like having it!!

      Reply
    4. Priya

      at

      Slurp,fingerlicking puli inchi..

      Reply
    5. Santosh Bangar

      at

      tangy an toung tickling dish
      u are taged in 7link challanged game .see at my blog

      Reply
    6. schmetterlingwords

      at

      Puli inji looks mouth wateringly delicious!! Love your man chatti too 🙂

      Reply
    7. Dzoli

      at

      What is Onam.Suppose a grat day celebrating but what?I always have fresh ginger in house but never prepred like this.Great recepie;))

      Reply
    8. RAKS KITCHEN

      at

      Yummy,mouthwatering recipe!

      Reply
    9. Mugdha

      at

      thnx for sharing such a tempting recipe...it looks tasty...:)

      Reply
    10. Rumana Rawat

      at

      looks tremendous..

      Reply
    11. Sharmilee! :)

      at

      Looks tongue tickling...yummyyy

      Reply
    12. jeyashrisuresh

      at

      yummy and tangy one , a wonderful combo for curd rice

      Reply
    13. Radhika

      at

      tangy puli inji. Mmmm.

      Reply
    14. Shanthi

      at

      Being very close to Kerala we used to have it oftenaaand luv it with curd rice. It has come out perfect.

      Reply
    15. anthony stemke

      at

      This looks good, I want to try it with rice.
      Thank You.

      Reply
    16. Sundari Sekar

      at

      Hi Aarthi,
      Love your presentations. Your recipes are superb. Also can you tell me where to get those terra cotta cooking pots?

      Reply
    17. Aarthi

      at

      @Sundari SekarI got it in my supermarket

      Reply
    18. sindhu

      at

      Thanks for sharing the recipe it came out well

      Reply
    19. Anonymous

      at

      Hello Aarthi.. thanks for sharing this recipe. I have a small doubt. Ginger and Green Chilli to be added as paste or chopped as you showed in picture. Thanks.

      Reply
    20. Aarthi

      at

      @Anonymousadding it as paste is best

      Reply
    21. beatzzz of my life

      at

      Hi Aarti,

      When I tried it had the raw taste of ginger evident. My mom mentioned, that we have to wash the chopped ginger thoroughly and saute the ginger in oil for a pretty long time until the raw taste goes off. Probably this tip helps others who faced the same issue.

      Reply
    22. beatzzz of my life

      at

      Hi Aarti,

      When I tried it had the raw taste of ginger evident. My mom mentioned, that we have to wash the chopped ginger thoroughly and saute the ginger in oil for a pretty long time until the raw taste goes off. Probably this tip helps others who faced the same issue.

      Reply
    23. smitha eapen Eapen

      at

      lovely recipes ur cakes biriyani..everything am trying in my home.its all came out well...thanks arthi

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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