Tuesday, June 27, 2006

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!

    12 comments:

    Shammi said...

    Hi! Where's the shop you're talking about, in Birmingham? The Kerala one? Is it in the Spark Hill area, by any chance? I go there every few months to the Indian/Pakistani shops for groceries. I didnt know there were any South Indian shops there - PLEASE tell me all the ones you know of, and where they are!! :)

    indianadoc said...

    This shop is in the Slade Road in Birmingham...they have an amazing collection of Kerala food, fish and masalas....Every Thursday they get fresh vegetables from India.You have a big row of Indian shops in West Bromwich area,a big supermarket called Johal supermarket in Wolverhampton, a small asian shop in Telford.....Haha ha...i'm doing marketing for all the Indian shops in Midlands!! To be honest it is a nice feeling being to these Indian shops!!

    Vineela said...

    Hi ,
    looks yummy.Try this next time and thanks for sharing.
    Vineela

    Krithika said...

    I want to try this. Is it easier to peel the skin after boiling ?

    Anonymous said...

    That's indeed very innovative vada...

    Anonymous said...

    I haven't heard of such a snack..Shame on me!!But to be frank i'm not that familiar with malabar dishes..can't wait to try this out..
    BTW,u r also a malayalee rt?Can i add you to malayalee blogroll?And thanks for the mention..:)

    indianadoc said...

    >thanx vineela for dropping in...pl.do try and let me know...
    >ThanxKrithika, I have always peeled it and cooked.I haven't tried the other way round...Probably our LG might be able to help.
    >thanx once again sherin..
    >there are so many things that I too do not know...malabari dishes I am familiar cos I am from Malabar...So obviously a malayali...Happy to be a part of your blogroll...

    Shammi said...

    Indianadoc, thanks for the info :) I'll hopefully get a chance to look for those shops soon! By the way, I know the small shop in Telford, assuming you're talking about the one in Hadley :)

    master chef said...

    thanx for ur recipe...am gonna make it as a starter for todays nombuthura...but i dont ve kasoori methi..anyway lemme try..happy to know that ur from malabar...am from malabar aswell...n i too shop from keralasuperstore..hop we l meet from ther someday..

    Unknown said...

    Hi indianadoc, can you please give me the address of indian shop in wolverhampton and telford. thank you very much..

    indianadoc said...

    >thanks master chef
    >thanks gokul..Well one indian store in Wolverhampton is Johal supermarket-396 Dudley Road, Wolverhampton,
    WV2 3AX,another southindian store is near the dudley venketeswara temple-laxmi stores...Well there are plenty in the soho road...and in Birmingham,on the slade road, you have a kerala shop and a srilankan shop.In telford you have it in Hadley.

    Anonymous said...

    Hi

    I am working on the new series of Come Dine With Me on Chanel 4 and I was wondering if you ever thought about being on the show?

    We are filming a new episode in Wolverhampton.

    PLease get in touch if you want to discuss more, I think your menu ideas would go down really well!

    Thanks,
    Richard
    richard.dyson@itv.com