Kappa Vada/Tapioca Fritters

 


















Everytime I go to the Birmingham Kerala shop, I'm lost in a world of nostalgia.... and come back.... missing home terribly...A reasonably good size poster of Mammootty is what welcomes anybody to the shop and the racks are filled with Nirapara,amma's, brahmin's,mohanlal, melam, eastern and what not!....The freezer is full of ayila, mathi,koonthal,chemmeen.....almost all those fish that we get back in Kerala is there... waiting for release!And how can I leave those Nenthrappazham, Chakka,Mathan,Vellari,and Kappa untouched....I unload half the shop and as a gesture of love that shop 'chettan' always gave me generously bunches of curry leaves, my greatest treasure in the pantry.

Kappa/Poolakizhangu/Kollikizhangu/Tapioca/Cassava is for many Malayalis a hot favourite and is available even in hotels and thattukadas with fish curry as accompaniment.You can get it in

Lg's thattukada

and

Sumi'sKitchen

or in

Annita'sTreasure

.


My Kappa Vada idea originated actually from my

Tellicherry

memories

of a very common snack called 'Kozhikkaal'...Kozhikkaal in Malayalam means Chicken legs...If you are expecting a Roasted chicken leg to be served, you are bound for a surprise......What comes to you in a plate would be Kappastrips held together by a spicy batter and deep fried,resembling a chicken leg fry and you need to really bite out like the way you eat chicken drumstick!Malabaris seems to have had very creative names for many of their dishes like unnakaya,muttamala and kozhikkaal!!I still remember the college days when we all used to swarm into a small shack called 'hotel' during the break time to eat kozhikkaal and pazhampori...it is a royal treat...But with the tapioca that I got from Birmingham, I had no scope to make a kozhikkaal...for it needs more fibrous Tapioca...not very fleshy, mushy ones...So probably next time....and Kozhikkaal paved the way for Kappa Vada...A wonderful snack for the evening time...So here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

Tapioca-1/2 kg
Red chilli powder-3/4tbsp(you may reduce it if u want it less hot)
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Garlic powder-1tsp
Dry Red chilli-2
Mustard-1/2 tsp
Green chilli-2(cut into small pieces)
Curry leaves-1 sprig
Onion-1 medium
Kasoori Methi/Dried Fenugreek leaves-1tbsp(soaked in water)
coriander leaves-1small bunch,chopped fine
Oil-as required
Water-as required


Method
Remove the skin,both the top brown and the inner pink layer.Cut into an inch long slices and remove the thick fibre running thro' the middle.Cook with plenty of water(double the quantity) and once it has boiled, drain off the water.Drain once again like this to avoid the 'kattu' or that unwanted layer of glucosides,which could be harmful.Now cook the Tapioca with half the quantity water.Once cooked well, mix salt and mash it well.

Now Heat oil in a wok.Once the oil starts smoking add mustard seed,dry red chilli, curry leaves,onion,green chillies,red chilli powder,kasoori methi,and garlic powder(in the same order) and saute well till onions becomes transluscent.Add this seasoning to the cooked tapioca along with chopped coriander leaves and mix well.(You could use this as a curry for chappathi too).

Now make small lemon size balls out of the seasoned tapioca.Press it with your hand to small patty and shallow fry it on a griddle with a dash of oil, till the sides turn golden brown.Serve it hot with any sauce of your choice!