Naadan Kappa Puzhukku

Naadan Kappa Puzhukku is a traditional styled classic dish, very popular in Kerala Cuisine that goes well with fish/beef curry. So tell me, which is your favorite- kappa with meen curry? Or kappa with mulaku chammanthy? I fail words to describe this yummy combo, an enjoyable and favorite dish. Mashed kappa is cooked with a mildly spiced coconut base and that makes the dish yummy. Whenever I think about the dish, it makes me feel nostalgic and memories come gushing to my mind. Naadan Kappa Puzhukku is available in restaurants, hotels and even toddy shops in Kerala. This is an economical dish that everyone can afford. Tapioca is cultivated in plenty in Kerala and hence it is cheap and affordable. Tapioca is regarded a staple food in Kerala. This is one of the authentic dishes in Kerala devoured with enthusiasm and delight. Tapioca is available all year round in Kerala.

Be very careful when you are buying tapioca from outside Kerala stores. Though the outside skin seems and looks fine, check whether the inside is stale and damaged. Damaged ones take long to cook and it will be hard. You can check the inside of raw tapioca by scratching a little of the outside skin. If it looks white and firm, then it is fine. If it looks yellowish with grey streaks, then discard them. This is one of the easiest dishes in Kerala Cuisine that requires minimum ingredients and takes very little time. Fish curry with tapioca is undoubtedly a true delicacy in Kerala Cuisine. Tapioca is nutritious, rich in carbohydrates and other nutrients. However those with diabetes ailment, stay away from the starch rich diet that hikes glucose levels. You can explore a well detailed recipe here that can be easily prepared at home. Enjoy the dish with your family.

Naadan Kappa Puzhukku

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Cuisine Kerala

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 500 gm Kappa Tapioca
• 3 – Green chillies
• ½ cup Grated Coconut
• ½ tsp Cumin seeds
• ½ tsp Turmeric powder
• 4 – Garlic pods
• Curry leaves few
• Salt As required
• 1 tbsp Coconut oil

Instructions

 

• Chop kappa into pieces.
• Cook it along with salt in a pressure cooker, till done.
• When done, drain off the excess water using a colander/strainer.
• Grind together grated coconut, cumin seeds, garlic, curry leaves and turmeric powder along with a little water into a coarse form.
• Heat up a pan or a kadai.
• Add the cooked and mashed kappa pieces along with the coconut mixture and allow it to cook.
• Stir well.
• Check for salt and adjust accordingly.
• Simmer till all the water gets evaporated and it becomes dry.
• Top it with coconut oil and a few fresh curry leaves.
• Pls note that you can also make it in gravy like consistency, in which case, you need to add a little more water and stir, making sure you don¦t make it too dry. And since I don't like it in a gravy form, I've made it quite dry as shown in the pic. You can also alter the quantity of coconut and garlic accordingly. The procedure for Chakka Puzhukku is almost the same except that you need to cook the jackfruit's fleshy pieces (Chakka chola) in a pan (not pressure cooker) along with a little turmeric powder and salt. Then add the coconut mixture and when done, top it with coconut oil. Your puzhukku is ready within no time to be served with your favourite side dish.
• Before wrapping up, I'd like to share with you a small personal episode this dish brought along while penning this recipe. I was taken to the distant past and was reminiscing down those lanes of childhood; in due course was found mirrored with a few vague images of a small incident. A rather poignant scene of my mother serving a generous portion of kappa puzhukku into my plate and looking at me with her affectionate eyes; hoping to see me finishing off the whole thing. And me on the contrary looking at her as she serves that sticky and mushy thing; with a plea in my eyes and hoping that she won't make me eat the whole thing. And before I cud say anything, she'd say, (Mole, ithu muzhuvanum kazhikkanam, ithu nallathanu) (Dear, you must eat it fully, it's good for your health). And I would coy around for a while and then would come a rather stuttering answer, ( Ammaaenikku venda. Enikku ithu ishtaamalla) (Mom, I don¦t want this as I don't like it). This so-called dialogue cum performance would go on for a while when it'd ultimately reach its optimuma. And then the scenes wud become more dramatic and ferocious; with lots of emotional blackmailing and threatening to tag on and then I'd sheepishly succumb to her desires; quickly gulp down the whole thing, wipe off the plate clean and try hard to hide the utter despair and frown on my face.
• Since then, around two decades have elapsed. The backdrop still remains the same. But there has been a tiny change in the characters played. Today, it was me who was serving a small portion onto my little one's plate with love and tender, with a hope and plea in my eyes that he'd have at least a bite of it. And not surprisingly enough, it was now his turn to glare at me with those tiny and meek eyes, which says it all; followed by a threatening look for giving him something he detests... 🙁 And honestly, I stand there dumbstruck contemplating on my next move; shud I go for blackmail or counter threats or rather replace the dish?? Guess the last one wud be the best choicea. Will definitely save lots of time and energy for both of us.
• And the ironical fact is that in both the situations, I was at the receiving end of threats. And strangely enough, my amma who was witnessing the whole episode, had infact come to his rescue immediately, offering him a substitute food. And now it was my turn to glare at her; trying hard to find the reasons for such contradictory actions on her part. And there she was simply walking off with a chuckle to the kitchen to get something else that'd satisfy her grandson's appetite leaving me in fact quite perplexed all along.
• Life can be so funny at times. The attitudes of the people have become so vulnerable to emotions and circumstances. You change as you grow or you grow as you change. Too confusing? 🙂 Well, I guess all grandparents are like that. You can never understand them. Moms are after all moms and can never be like grandmas and grandmas can never be like moms. Rather confusing again. Maybe, I'll get the point when I become a grandma myself. But too long a way to go 🙂
• So, on that elongated note, happy cooking!!!

Notes

You can visit this link Beef Curry. You can also visit this link Hot and Spicy Kerala Fish Curry.

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