Inji Thogaiyal(Ginger Chutney)

Inji thogaiyal or Ginger chutney is one of my favorites.Everytime my mom makes I make sure I get a bigger portion of the Ginger chutney than everybody else because its spicy,tangy and ends with a mild sweet note. Ginger is very good for health and aids in digestion and even cures cold .It is essential to add ginger in our meal plan and is perfect for winter when there is a high possibility of catching cold.In our house we make Inji thogaiyal either as a sidedish for Andhra Pesarattu(green lentil dosa) or for rice along with coriander and small onion porichakootu.

Preparation time:20 mins

Serves:2

Ingredients:

Ginger -100 gms

Red chillies-1 or 2

Tamarind -one small gooseberry size

Toor dal/pigeon peas-1 tbsp

Urad dal/de skinned black lentil-1tbsp

Curry leaves-10 leaves

Hing/asafetida-1 tsp

Grated coconut-5 tbsp

Jaggery-2 tsp

Salt-to taste

Oil-1 tsp

Procedure :

1.Dry roast Toor dal,Urad dal,tamarind and red chillies till the dals turn light golden brown.

2.Then add a tsp of oil to these dal and add the chopped ginger and curry leaves .Saute till the ginger gets roasted well.

3.Once the ginger is done ,switch off the heat and add the coconut .Once all the ingredients cool down add salt,jaggery and asafoetida to this mixture and grind coarsely in a mixer.

4.Serve with green lentil Dosa or with plain rice and coriander small onion porichakootu or any kootu of your choice.

Tips:

*Roasting ginger well in oil (low flame)is necessary otherwise the raw spice was of ginger will be there in the chutney.

*You can roast dals and ginger separately if you wish.

* For thogaiyal, bring coarsely and if you want to serve with dosa as a chutney then grind finely.