Kappa Vevichathu / Kappa Puzhukku Recipe / Kappa Kuzhachathu.
Today, I’m sharing with you Kappa Vevichathu, a dish made from boiled and mashed Yucca root seasoned with a mixture of ground coconut and spices. It is typically served with hot Red Meen Curry, a match made in heaven, isn’t it?
I remember when I was hospitalized in 8th grade with a 105-degree fever my grandmother came to visit me and whispered in my ear, “Shall I bring Kappa Vevichathu and Meen Curry tomorrow?” She is no longer alive now, but those words of love and care conveyed an extra touch of “I love you very much.” Without thinking twice, I immediately replied, “Yes, I want it.” She consoled me by saying, “I will make it for you once you come back home healthy.” She kept that commitment, but with one change: instead of Meen Curry, it was chicken curry with Kappa Vevichathu. I got a disapproving look from my dad when I was having kappa and chicken curry even before I had completely recovered from the fever. She used to make another wonderful dish by boiling kappa (tapioca), chena (yam), and chembu (colocasia) all together and used to have it with Mulaku Chammanthi (chili chutney). Those are my childhood sweet memories that came across my mind and linger on the surface as I started writing this. I could say that she was the best grandmother anyone could have, whose love is everlasting.
One thing that my generation and the current generation agree on unanimously is the exceptional taste of this semi-mashed tapioca. In most of the hostels and boarding schools in Kerala, children get kappa vevichathu once every week, and all the students look forward to that day to get this tasty and yummy dish. This dish makes me nostalgic.
Most of the restaurants and tea shops in Kerala serve kappa and meen curry. It is a common dish even in five-star hotels in Kerala. It’s a special dish in all the toddy shops of Kerala. Many tourists visit toddy shops to buy this wonderful combo of Kappa Vevichathu and Meen Curry. Some other spicy and yummy toddy shop delicacies are my favorites: Kakka Irachi Ularthiyathu (mussels fry), Tharavu Roast (duck roast), crab curry, Karimeen Pollichathu (fried pearl spot), etc
Some of you must be wondering what ‘toddy’ is. Toddy is kallu, a much sought-after intoxicating beverage of Keralites, and is available in toddy shops, which are thatched huts with signboards outside reading ‘കള്ള്’. It’s generally considered a men’s world. One can expect the spiciest and tastiest food there. Toddy is a sap that is natural and intoxicating, collected from incisions made on the flower clusters of a coconut tree. It is then fermented to produce the liquor. As Scotch whiskey is to Scotland, toddy is an intoxicating drink of Kerala. It is also a very good fermenting agent, and Keralites use it to ferment the dough of kallappam, a pancake made of rice flour. I hope now it’s almost clear to you. 😉
I love to have boiled and cooked tapioca with just some grated coconut. Cassava chips are available in markets, and we buy and use them as munchies.
Kappa or tapioca is a staple food of the farming community in Kerala and a traditional dish of Kerala. Tapioca is a starchy substance extracted from the cassava root plant; it is high in starch content and a rich source of carbohydrates. This is of Latin American origin, native to Brazil, but spread throughout the South American continent. It is now cultivated worldwide, especially in Africa, and is well grown in the southern part of India. It can be prepared without coconut too, and can be had with some chili chutney.
Kappa Kuzhachathu:
Servings – depends on how much one consumes.
Author: Seena
Ingredients for Making Kappa Puzhukku:
To cook Tapioca:
Tapioca, washed, peeled and chopped in to small pieces – 1 kg
Salt – to taste
Water – to cover tapioca
To Grind:
Coconut – ½ to ¾th of one coconut
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp.
Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp.
Green Chilly, finely chopped – 4
Shallots / small onions – 4
Garlic pods – 2
Black Pepper corns (optional) – ¼ tsp.
To Temper:
Coconut Oil – 2 tbsp.
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp.
Shallots / small onion, sliced – 2
Curry Leaves – 3 sprigs
Whole Red Chilly – 1
How to Make Kappa Puzhukku:
Peel the thick brown skin of Tapioca and cut in to small medium sized cubes. Wash it well in plenty of water until water runs clear.
Fill a large vessel with enough water to cover tapioca and bring to boil. Once it comes to boil, drain the water and again fill the vessel with enough water, salt to taste and ½ tsp. of Turmeric powder. Cover and cook tapioca until it is tender.Drain the water and keep it aside.
Meanwhile, grind the ingredients listed under ‘to grind’ to a coarse paste in a blender and pulse it one or two times. Add this coconut mixture to the cooked and drained tapioca and combine it thoroughly. Turn on the stove. Cover and cook on low to medium flame until water evaporates well.
Once the water is evaporated well, smash kappa with a wooden spatula until you get a semi – smashed tapioca. Cook this mixture for another 2 more minutes or till the smell of raw garlic and turmeric leaves.
Next heat a pan and add coconut oil and fry the ingredients for tempering until the onions are lightly brown. Pour this over the semi smashed kappa mixture and combine it well. Serve it with nadan fish curry.
My Recipe Notes on Kappa Vevichathu:
1. Select the fresh and good quality Tapioca.
2. Do a taste test of salt and add if required while mixing tapioca and coconut mixture.
3. Always use fresh Tapioca to get the real taste of this dish.
4. Drain the boiled water completely, otherwise it will go mushy..
5. Our grandmas used to boil and drain water twice in order to remove it’s strains. Here I too have done like this.
6. It goes well with Beef or chicken curry.
Happy Cooking..
Bon Appétit
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കേരള കപ്പ വേവിച്ചത് റെസിപ്പി.
Kerala Kappa Vevichathu.
Description
Learn how to make mashed tapioca which is usually served with Fish curry or any non-veg side dishes. It is traditional seasoned mashed tapioca.