It’s interesting how some recipes have two names. I was planning to prepare a recipe that can be called under a name starting with “I” and also under S. But then how it became inji thokku? Simple, both I and M bought loads of ginger without realizing that we have enough at home. So I converted my ginger stash into a ginger pickle or thokku. I am happy I picked Tamil Nadu cuisine as my theme, I can post all my day to day recipes here. :-) I have already posted Tomato Thokku, Mango Thokku, Apple Thokku, and Gooseberry Thokku also. So here comes one more, Inji thokku. I served the Godumai or the cracked wheat upma with this thokku. You can either grate the ginger or grind them together as I did. The texture will slightly differ, but also the texture depends upon the tenderness and fiber content. Gingelly oil drizzled later, and it is preferred, but if you don’t have gingelly oil use the regular cooking oil. Mustard seed powder is just a preservative here.
Mustard Seed Powder:
Roast about 1 to 2 tbsps of mustard seeds in a kadai without adding any oil. As they start to splutter, turn off the heat and let it cool. Then grind it coarsely. I keep this always in hand as I use this powder for kiddo’s Rice and Cheese balls also. Ingredients:
Ground Ginger – 1.5 cups Oil – 3 tbsps Mustard seed powder – 1 tsp Mustard seeds – ½ tsp Methi powder – 1 tsp Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp Hing – 1 tsp Tamarind Paste – 1 tbsp (if using tamarind, soak them in 3 tbsps of water and grind them) Salt – 1 tbsp Red chilly powder – 2 to 2.5 tsps Water – 3 tbsps + 3 tbsps (optional for soaking tamarind) Powdered Jaggery – 3 tbsps Gingelly oil – 1 tbsp Curry leaves – a couple for garnish.
How to make inji thokku or ginger pickle-
Wash and peel the ginger skin and chop them roughly. Then grind them by adding 3 tbsps of water. I got around 1.5 cups, and the spice measurement is for this quantity.
Heat the kadai and 3 tbsps of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. As they start to splutter, add the mustard powder, methi powder, turmeric powder, and hing.
Fry for a minute and now add the ground ginger. Add salt, tamarind paste, and red chili powder and mix well.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it cook for about 10 minutes. Make sure you mix them every minute or so. Initially, it absorbs all oil, but after some time, it will slowly start to ooze oil out. And the pickle/thokku comes together as a ball. (In Tamil, we say thirundu varum pozhudu)
Now add the Jaggery and mix well and let it cook for couple more minutes. (More we cook, more shelf life)
Add the gingelly oil and mix well and cook for a couple more minutes. The right consistency is, it should come together as one big nonsticky ball like below.
That’s it. Ginger pickle is ready.
Let it cool completely before refrigerating. Serve hot with rice or curd rice or any tiffin.
Recipe Notes:
Ginger can be grated instead of grinding. Adjust the red chilly powder and salt according to the spiciness of ginger. Ginger is spicy, and we are adding red chili powder, so I went with 3 tbsps of Jaggery. You either reduce or increase as per your preference. You can grind a strand of curry leaves along with ginger, and it adds more flavor to this thokku.
📖 Recipe
