I've seen it in the farmers market and wondered how this strange looking veggie tasted, but never dared to buy it myself. I don't remember seeing this veggie back home and my mom thought it looked like 'karra pendalam', but she wasn't sure.
After reading Nags' post, I went looking for tapioca and came home with my first ever tapioca/ kappa. I followed Nags instructions on how to cut and prepare the dish to the T and I've to say that this will not be the last time I'm going to buy this veggie. I was eating it right out of the saute pan -- it had a nice texture and the garlic-chili masala made it spicy and absolutely delicious. Definitely a must try for people who haven't tried it before.
Peel and wash tapioca well. There is a fiber like thing in the center of the tapioca, so remove this before chopping it into ½" cubes.
Put the cubes in a sauce pan and cover with 1" of water. Bring water to a boil, then simmer until the pieces get fork tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.
In the meantime, crush the garlic along with red chilies into a coarse mixture.
In a saute pan, add 1tbsp coconut oil, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, garlic-chili mixture and curry leaves. Saute until garlic starts to smell fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the drained tapioca, turmeric and salt. Mix well and cook for couple of minutes. That's it it's ready to be snacked on.
The very thought of kappa puzhinginyathu makes my mouth water :). Its is an all time favorite. We usually pressure cook the kappa so that its a little on the mashed side (not too much though). It can be paired up with a quick chutney made with onion and chilies - pulse it 3-4 times with salt, in the mixie until it a coarse paste. Add a drop of oil if its too spicy and serve with steaming kappas! Its delicious 🙂
Nagalakshmi V
looks fabulous! thank you so much for joining in.
Rajani S
The very thought of kappa puzhinginyathu makes my mouth water :). Its is an all time favorite. We usually pressure cook the kappa so that its a little on the mashed side (not too much though). It can be paired up with a quick chutney made with onion and chilies - pulse it 3-4 times with salt, in the mixie until it a coarse paste. Add a drop of oil if its too spicy and serve with steaming kappas! Its delicious 🙂
Pavani
Thanks to you for sharing such a delicious and authentic dish -- loved making it.