This pan fried tapioca (kappa masala) is an easy appetizer to make. It’s from Indian cuisine, aromatic and lip smacking. Moreover, this dish is gluten free and vegan!
It’s my first time ever to try fresh tapioca, the dish is similar in way to batatta harrah ( spicy potato) the one we make in the middle east. Kappa masala is an Indian traditional dish from Kerala state . My friend on Instagram famidha introduced me to it, when I asked on Instagram , what to do with fresh tapioca. I love Indian food so much, and I’ve eaten it a lot through the years in different countries, well still not in India 😀 . However, after years of cooking and searching for perfect Indian recipes, I’ve realized you must buy original authentic spices. It won’t taste the same if you use substitutes . So, that’s what I did with this recipe .
So to make it authentic as possible, I bought fresh curry leaves, it’s is kind of essential in this dish. And, actually it’s my first time to cook with coconut oil. I used it a lot in desserts and baking, but not in cooking. Because I thought it’s overpowering, but this time I used earth finest raw and a virgin one. It’s smell is out of this world, and it gave the dish the hint of coconut, and that aroma of south east Asia, that hits you when cook with it.
Should you eat tapioca or not?
Tapioca/cassava root is mainly contain carbs, with zero fat and negligible amount of protein too . It’s a high calorie one, and it’s not the healthiest root or vegetables out there. However, some of the health benefits are:
- It has a resistant starch, which is a starch compound that our body can’t digest. there is a possibility that this resistant starch is good for the gut, and consider as pre-biotic.
- It has lower glycemic index than white potato, so it can be a substitute for some dishes.
- It’s like a blank canvas and you can simply almost add anything to flavor it.
While, tapioca itself don’t add many nutritional values, you can mix it with protein to and other vegetables to maximize the benefits. This dish is eaten as snack in Kerala, not as a meal at all. But, to me, eating it with a side of yogurt cucumber salad would be delicious and nutritious too.
I’m so happy I followed the recipe almost religiously, except of mustard seeds, I don’t like their taste, once I tried the yellow seeds, and feel they overpower the flavor and a little bit weird to me, like they are taste fatty in way . And the amount of dry red chilies, I didn’t have any of it, and i just used powder of red chili, and it was already spice. I can’t imagine how spicy it would be with dry red chili.
The recipe is very easy one, you peel, slice tapioca and boil it . Then you pan fry it with other ingredients.
I don’t usually make recipes from other food blogs, to add it here to the blog. I just thought it’s a tasty and unique appetizer, that I would love to share it with YOU my readers. And since, I’m not the one who developed this, and to not take credit from another blogger ,
So go to shab’s cuisine blog for this kappa masala recipe
