Ginger chutney is a popular paste in Andhra cuisine, made with roasted mustard seeds, pickled lentils, fresh ginger, chillies, tamarind juice and salt. It has a sweet and sour taste and is served with South Indian dishes. Ginger is valued for its medicinal properties and the chutney’s flavor can be adjusted by varying the amount of ginger and jaggery used. It is best made with young, smooth ginger roots and can be served as a thin paste for breakfast or a thick paste with rice.
Ginger chutney, also known as allam pachadi, is a very popular aromatic paste in Andhra cuisine. Although ginger is the main ingredient in this dish, it is made in such a way that the flavor remains subtle. In general, this chutney has a unique sweet and sour taste and goes well with popular South Indian dishes. The name of ginger chutney varies from one state to another: ginger is referred to as allam in Telugu language, adrak in Hindi and inji in Tamil language.
The basic recipe for this tangy chutney involves roasting mustard seeds and a mixture of pickled lentils and grinding the mix with fresh ginger, chillies, tamarind juice and salt. Some add jaggery to the mix to sweeten it or even a few flakes of garlic. Garnished with curry or mint leaves and coriander. This chutney is quite distinctive due to its fiery sweet and sour flavour. The taste can be varied very easily to make it sweeter or spicier by increasing the amount of jaggery or ginger used.
This chutney tastes a bit sweet in Andhra state due to the addition of jaggery. Depending on how the chutney is made, it can keep for several days. In Andhra, ginger chutney is typically served with pesarattu. This is a flat pancake made from green green lentils. Ginger chutney is a very popular side with many breakfast foods, such as dosas – flat rice pancakes, idlis – steamed rice cakes, and hoopoe – grits. It is also delicious eaten with hot rice and ghee or served with biriyani or pulav.
Ginger root is a much lauded rhizome valued in Ayurvedic trials for its medicinal value. The spiciness and flavor of this root is due to the presence of certain oils, such as shoagaols and zingerone. The flavors of this root emerge very well with fresh ginger chutney. Reducing the amount of ginger used will decrease its pungency. The flavor is also influenced by the age of the ginger root used; it is generally recommended to use holding young roots.
It is best to choose smooth ginger roots which are easy to cut without much effort. More mature or wilted root may not contribute as much flavor. When served for breakfast, more water is added to the chutney to make it a textured, thin paste. When prepared to serve with rice, ginger chutney is ground into a very coarse and thick paste which also keeps for a long time. Some people add a little lime juice just before serving to give it some vitamin C and boost its tangy flavor.
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