Fish curry and Tapioca, without any doubt a true delicacy of Kerala cuisine…
Since my last post was Kerala-style fish curry, this post gotta be Kappa Puzhukku or Tapioca in ground coconut. For the first time, I wasn’t perplexed about what to post next.
One of the authentic Kerala dishes has been Kappa and Meen curry (Tapioca or yuca root and fish curry), devoured by all hardcore non- veggies with high enthusiasm. Though nowadays you could come across tapioca being served along with beef or chicken, tapioca with fish curry is the most delicious and the most commonly served combination. Tapioca has been a staple food for many people in Kerala, it is cheap and is available all year round. I was so delighted when I found that I can buy fresh tapiocas from the Asian supermarket which is very close to my house.
How to save yourself from buying spoiled tapiocas, here is a little trick that I do:
While buying tapiocas you have to be little very careful, you don’t want to be disappointed when you find out that you carried the spoiled ones all the way home. In North America, the skin of tapiocas would be waxed before they are kept for sale. The waxy and shiny look on the tapiocas are quite deceiving. Even if the inside of the tapioca is spoiled we cannot find it. I freaked out a few times when I found that the tapiocas I had bought were rotten inside. I didn’t want to happen this again, hence I found a trick to save myself from further disappointment and of course from wasting my money. What I usually do is scratch the end of the tapioca a little bit and smell it, if the inside looks white and if it smells good, you can get that without any hesitation. But if the inside looks yellowish with grey streaks and smells slightly rotten, then go ahead and discard them.
Fresh and good tapiocas cook fast while spoiled ones take a long time to become tender.
I have already posted the recipe for Tapioca Stir fry and Tapioca Fish biryani, so here is the recipe for Kappa Puzhukku or Tapioca in ground coconut.
Kappa Puzhukku
Fish Curry Recipes, Click Here
Ingredients
- Tapioca, cubed- 3 tapiocas ( 6 cups)
- Water- 3 cups
- Salt- 1/2 tsp
To grind
- Coconut, grated- 1 cup
- Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
- Garlic, chopped- 2 cloves
- Green chili- 1 or 2
- Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
- Water- 1 cup
For tempering
- Coconut oil- 2 tbsp
- Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
- Small onions, minced- 3
- Dried red whole chilies- 3, halved
- Curry leaves- 10 leaves
Instruction
- If using fresh tapioca or kappa, peel the skin off the tapiocas, cut into cubes, and rinse well under running water.
- Frozen diced tapioca is available in Indian stores, if using frozen ones, rinse in water.
- Fill half of a large saucepan with water, add the tapiocas and salt, cook till the tapiocas turn soft and fork-tender.
- Drain the water from the cooked tapiocas and keep it aside.
- In a blender, grind the above mentioned “to grind ingredients” to a coarse paste.
- To a large saucepan, add the cooked tapiocas and the ground coconut paste.
- Gently mash the tapiocas using a wooden spoon.
- Add 1 1/2 tsp salt, combine well.
- Cook for a few minutes until the gravy starts to thicken.
- Take the pan off the heat and keep it covered.
- Place a small frying pan over medium heat, add oil.
- When the oil turns hot, add mustard seeds, let splutter.
- Add the minced small onions, saute for a few minutes till they turn golden in color.
- Add dried red chilies and curry leaves, saute for a few seconds.
- Pour this tempering over the cooked tapioca.
- Keep the tapioca covered for some time so that the flavors from the tempering will infuse into the dish.
- In Kerala, non-vegetarians enjoy this with fish curry or chicken curries. Vegetarians can enjoy it as it is along with pickle or can be served with rice.
- Tapioca, cubed- 2 tapiocas (6 cups)
- Water- 3 cups
- Salt- ½ tsp
- Coconut, grated- 1 cup
- Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
- Garlic, chopped- 2 cloves
- Green chili- 1 or 2
- Turmeric powder- ¼ to ½ tsp
- Water- 1 cup
- Coconut oil or vegetable oil- 2 tbsp
- Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
- Small onions, minced- 3
- Dried red whole chilies- 3, halved
- Curry leaves- 10 leaves
- If using fresh tapioca or kappa, peel the skin off the tapiocas, cut into cubes, and rinse well under running water.
- Frozen diced tapioca is available in Indian stores, if using frozen ones, rinse in water.
- Fill half of a large saucepan with water, add the tapiocas and salt, cook till the tapiocas turn soft and fork-tender.
- Drain the water from the cooked tapiocas and keep it aside.
- In a blender, grind the above-mentioned "to grind ingredients" to a coarse paste.
- To a large saucepan, add the cooked tapiocas and the ground coconut paste.
- Gently mash the tapiocas using a wooden spoon.
- Add 1½ tsp salt, combine well.
- Cook for a few minutes minutes until the gravy starts to thicken.
- Take the pan off the heat and keep it covered.
- Place a small frying pan over medium heat, add oil.
- When the oil turns hot, add mustard seeds, let splutter.
- Add the minced small onions, saute for a few minutes till they turn golden in color.
- Add dried red chilies and curry leaves, saute for a few seconds.
- Pour this tempering over the cooked tapioca.
- Keep the tapioca covered for some time so that the flavors from the tempering will infuse into the tapioca.
- In Kerala, non-vegetarians enjoy this with fish or chicken curries. Vegetarians can enjoy it as it is along with pickle or can be served with rice.
