Kerala Style Vegan Tapioca Stew, Kappa Ishtu
Kerala style Vegan Tapioca Stew or Kappa Ishtu is a delicious, simple, one pot curry from the Southern state of Kerala in India.Kappa is the malayalam name for Cassava or Yuca and is one of the main starch ingredients in Kerala's food culture, along with rice. The other popular Malayalam names are maracheeni, Poola kizhangu, Maravalli Kizhangu, Kolli Kizhangu.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 4 Nos Green Chillies, slit
- 1 inch Ginger, finely chopped
- 100 grams onion, diced
- 300 grams cassava roots, yuca roots, tapioca, cubed
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 cups coconut milk, divided.
- 100 grams carrots, cubed
- 100 grams beans, cut into long pieces
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp crushed black pepper
- 1 tsp jaggery or brown sugar
Instructions
- Please see video to understand how to peel tapioca.
- Heat a heavy bottomed pan or pot.
- Add a spoon of coconut oil.
- Add curry leaves, chillies and ginger and saute for a minute.
- Add onion and tapioca. Don't saute onions.
- Add turmeric.
- Add 1 cup of coconut milk and 1/2 cup of water. If using thin coconut milk, then you can omit water and add 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk instead.
- Cover and cook on low flame for 12-15 minutes.
- The tapioca should be cooked yet firm.
- Add chopped carrots, beans and salt at this stage.
- Cover and again cook for 5 minutes. Overcooking may spoil the color and texture.
- Then add crushed pepper, sugar and a cup of thick coconut milk.
- Simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the flame.
- Dip some curry leaves springs in coconut oil and put as a garnish for the stew.
- Serve hot stew with Appam. This tastes equally delicious with steamed rice.
