Mashed Tapioca/Cassava or Kappa
As I had promised, here’s the recipe for mashed tapioca/cassava to go along with the spicy Kerala style fish curry. Mildly spiced tapioca in this preparation and the spicy, tangy fish curry is a one-of-a-kind combination that every seafood lover needs to try at least once. It also goes well with curried chicken/beef/pork dishes, especially the ones prepared Kerala style. Vegetarians can have mashed tapioca with onion and green chili chutney or my mixing red chili powder with salt and oil.
Tapioca is loved throughout Kerala and is used in a wide variety of dishes from breakfast to dinner, and is even made into crunchy chips. Tapioca is a staple food for many people in Kerala as it is cheap and available all year round. It rose in stature from a common man’s food to being served at star hotels and tourist attractions like houseboats, with the rise in tourism in Kerala and with more people realizing its potential as a scrumptious pairing with spicy Kerala style curries.
More about the dish….
There are different variants of this dish with different levels of doneness throughout Kerala. The one I’m posting here is a simple yet delicious recipe here with certain optional ingredients that enhances the flavor.
Mashed Tapioca/Cassava or Kappa
Remove the skin of the tapioca (get rid of the outer skin as well as the pink skin) and cut into small cubes. Wash well and set aside.
Boil water in a large pan. Add in the cleaned tapioca, salt and turmeric. The water level should be 2-3 inches taller than the tapioca.
Cook till the tapioca is done (the pieces should give a little when pressed with the side of a spoon). Drain the excess water and slightly mash the tapioca.
In another wide pan, heat oil.
Add mustard seeds, cumin, dried red chilies and curry leaves. When it splutters, add shallots/onion, garlic and sauté until the onions turn into a golden-brown color.
Add the grated coconut and mix well with the rest of the ingredients.
Add the cooked tapioca to this mixture and mix well.
You can find Kerala spicy fish curry recipe here
Thank you for trying this with me!
I’d love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #ttwmblog and I’ll be sure to find it.
Ingredients
Directions
Remove the skin of the tapioca (get rid of the outer skin as well as the pink skin) and cut into small cubes. Wash well and set aside.
Boil water in a large pan. Add in the cleaned tapioca, salt and turmeric. The water level should be 2-3 inches taller than the tapioca.
Cook till the tapioca is done (the pieces should give a little when pressed with the side of a spoon). Drain the excess water and slightly mash the tapioca.
In another wide pan, heat oil.
Add mustard seeds, cumin, dried red chilies and curry leaves. When it splutters, add shallots/onion, garlic and sauté until the onions turn into a golden-brown color.
Add the grated coconut and mix well with the rest of the ingredients.
Add the cooked tapioca to this mixture and mix well.