Tapioca, chicken & ground coconut cooked together, a delicious one-pot meal…
One of the staple root vegetables in Kerala is tapioca, a variety of dishes can be prepared with it. I love making one-pot meals with it, combining the cooked tapioca with shrimp, chicken, beef, etc- this is like tapioca biryani without the rice.
I’ve shared a few tapioca recipes, here are the recipes.
The other day, when I made the tapioca chicken biryani, I also added ground coconut to it, similar to making one of my favorite dishes Chakkoli or shrimp-rice dumplings with ground coconut.
I’m glad I added ground coconut, tasted absolutely delicious & a perfect one-pot meal.
Tapioca Chicken Cooked With Ground Coconut - Delicious One Pot Meal Recipe
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Thasneen
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 4 People
Ingredients
- Kappa or Tapioca- 3 fresh tapioca, diced or 4 cups
For marinating chicken
- Chicken bone-in pieces- 12 medium-sized pieces
- Kashmiri chili powder- 1 tsp
- Regular chili powder- 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder- ⅛ tsp
- Garam masala- 1 tsp
- Coriander powder- 2 tsp
- Salt- 1 tsp
To Grind
- Grated coconut- 1 cup
- Whole cinnamon- 1-inch slice
- Fennel powder- 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
- Water- ½ cup
For cooking chicken curry
- Coconut Oil- 2 tbsp
- Dried bay leaves- 2
- Onions, chopped- 2, yellow onions
- Ginger-garlic, grated- 1 tbsp
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Tomatoes, chopped- 1
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Chopped cilantro- 3 tbsp
For tempering
- Ghee- 2 tbsp
- Shallots, minced- 1, large or 2 small/pearl onions
- Dried red chilies, halved- 3
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
Instructions
- I've used 3 fresh tapioca or yuca or you can use 4 cups of diced frozen tapioca available in most Indian stores.
- If using fresh tapioca, using a peeler peel off the skin and dice them (half the tapioca vertically, again half them & dice them into chunks).
- I pressure cooked the tapiocas in my Instant Pot, add the diced tapiocas to the stainless pot, add 2 cups water & ½ tsp salt, select pressure cook setting set the time to 12 minutes at high pressure.
- After pressure cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes & then do a quick pressure release. Drain the liquid in the pot & keep aside the cooked tapioca.
- Or cook in a saucepan over the stovetop: Add the diced tapiocas to a large saucepan, season with ½ tsp salt and cover it with water, cook till the tapioca turns fork tender, it should be very soft.
- Drain the water and keep aside the cooked tapioca.
- To a bowl, add the chicken along with the above-mentioned spices for marination. I've used bone-in chicken pieces.
- Combine well & keep aside the chicken.
- To a blender jar, add the ingredients mentioned 'to grind', grind to a smooth paste. Keep it aside.
- I cooked the chicken curry in my Instant Pot, or cook in a saucepan over stovetop.
- Turn on the Instant Pot, place the stainless steel pot into the main pot.
- Select Saute setting, medium temperature. Let the pot turn hot.
- Add coconut oil.
- Add dried bay leaves, saute for a few seconds.
- Add the sliced onions, add ½ tsp salt, saute for a minute.
- Add ginger-garlic grated or paste, curry leaves and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for a minute.
- Ensure the stainless steel pot doesn't turn brown.
- Now add the marinated chicken & combine well.
- I rinsed the bowl that's used for marinating the chicken with ¼ cup water, add the water to the pot.
- In the Instant Pot, don't add a lot of water, after pressure cooking the curry will be very watery.
- Close the pot with the lid.
- Cancel Saute setting, select Pressure cook setting, set the time to 10 minutes at high pressure.
- If cooking over stovetop, after adding the chicken, add ½ cup warm water, close the saucepan with a lid & cook till the chicken has cooked through.
- Let the liquid dry off, there shouldn't be too much liquid in the curry.
- After 12 minutes of pressure cooking in the Instant Pot, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes & then do a quick pressure release. Open the lid.
- There will be some liquid in the pot.
- Select Saute setting, medium temperature.
- Add the ground coconut to the cooked chicken, cook for a few minutes.
- Let the gravy thicken.
- Add the cooked tapioca to the chicken, combine well with the chicken.
- Cook for a few minutes.
- Taste & add salt if required.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, combine well.
- Take the pot out of the main pot & keep it covered.
- Make the tempering: place a small frying pan over medium heat, add ghee let turn hot.
- Add shallots or small/pearl onions minced, fry till they turn golden in color.
- Add dried red chilies halved & curry leaves, saute for a few seconds.
- Immediately pour the tempering over the cooked tapioca chicken & keep it covered for a few minutes, let the aroma from the tempering infuse into the tapioca chicken.
- Don't skip adding the tempering, enhances the taste & aroma of this dish greatly.
- Serve in a plate & enjoy this absolutely delicious tapioca chicken biryani, perfect one-pot meal.
