Unakka Kappa Vevichathu(Dry tapioca Cooked)

In Kerala,Kappa/Tapioca/Cassava is also considered to be a staple food just like rice mainly because it is inexpensive and is widely available.We could eatKappa for breakfast,as a evening snack or for dinner.Kappa can be grown very easily,only thing you’ve to taken care is the attack from rats.

Variety of deliccacies can be prepared from fresh Kappa,and the most popular one is Kappa kuzhachathu with meen curry.Unakka Kappa/dry Cassava is not much appreciated when compared to the fresh ones.It is nothing, but tapioca peeled,washed,sliced/diced, boiled and dried in the sun.This can be stored for years and gives out a totally different flavor when cooked.

This dish used to be a regular at my amma’s place in Erumely.Its a very simple preparation and is usually served with Ulli chammanthi or Kanthari Mulaku (a kind of chilly called bird’s eye chilli) Chammanthi.

Ingredients :-

Unakka Kappa/Dry Cassava – 4 cups

Fresh grated coconut – 1- 2 cups(use it according to your taste..I like it with more coconut)

Green chillies chopped- 6-10 (again use it accordingly)

Shallots sliced – 8-10

Salt – to taste

Coconut oil – as needed

Method:-

Wash the kappa pieces well and soak it overnight or for 8 hours.Drain and add around 5-6 cups water to kappa and allow it to boil.Strain the water and add fresh water to it again and cook kappa until it turns soft.If you’re using a pressure cooker ,cook for 1 whistle.Strain the water again and let the kappa cool.

Take a big bowl and add coconut,shallots,green chillies and salt into it.Mix them together with hand.Add kappa pieces into it and combine them well.Add 3-4 tsps of coconut oil into it and mix them together with hand.Serve with chammanthi of your choice.

Note :-You can prepare Kappa Kuzhachathu (with ground coconut-cumin paste) with Unakka Kappa also.After the kappa gets cooked,follow the procedure of Kappa Kuzhachathu recipe.

Also check out Inji’s Kappa Puzhukku with Unakka Kappa