Kappa Vevichathu/ Mashed Tapioca

Tapioca or Kappa is the most favourite and popular food in Kerala. If you ask any Keralite about their favourite food, it would be Mashed tapioca and fish curry. Tapioca can be stored for longer periods by parboiling and drying called unakka kappa (dried tapioca).

It is  is one of the purest forms of starch food.Another form of boiled tapioca is Tapioca cakes (Chendan kappa) and it is served with chili sauce(Mulaku chammanthi). I have already shared a tapioca dish called Kappa Biriyani. In some places and also in restaurants they used to do seasoning finally. I haven’t done any seasoning here. Even though the best combination of mashed tapioca is Fish curry, you can also serve it with chicken curry or beef curry.

Ingredients

• Tapioca – 1 kilogram
• Turmeric Powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt

To Grind

• Grated Coconut – 1 cup
• Shallots – 5
• Green Chillies – 2
• Garlic – 4 cloves
• Turmeric Powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds – 1/2 teaspoon

Preparation

1. Peel the outer brown skin and inner pink skin. Chop the edges and cut it into medium-sized pieces. Wash it thoroughly a couple of times.
2. Boil the tapioca pieces in plenty of water along with salt and turmeric until tender. Be careful not to overcook the tapioca or else it will end up being mushy.
3. Drain the water thoroughly and keep the tapioca pieces aside.
4. Grind coconut, shallots, green chilies, garlic, turmeric powder and cumin seeds to form a very coarse paste. Add this to the cooked tapioca.
5. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes on low heat. Remove lid and mix everything thoroughly. Add more salt if needed. Mash the pieces thoroughly using the back of a wooden spatula.