Of the many things that can get a malayalee dewy eyed, puyungiya kappa with meen curry ( boiled tapioca and fish curry) comes in the top 5 !
My association with kappa ( tapioca) dates back to childhood when jute bags filled with this root accompanied us back after summer holidays in Kerala and proudly occupied a place of pride in the corner of our kitchen in Nagpur.
I never liked it then but as years passed, these became part of those precious treasures that I wanted desperately preserve desperately as part of my identity.
Kappa meen curry is served everywhere in Kerala, from ancestral homes to toddy shops and is eaten with gusto by rich and poor alike.
We get frozen tapioca in the local supermarket and they are equally good.
Recipe-
Frozen tapioca ( from Asian shop)
Place in a pressure cooker with 1/2 tsp haldi and salt to taste. Cook till very soft
.
Grind coconut 1/2 , jeera 1/2 tsp, lasun 3, haldi pd, chilly pd to a silky smooth paste.
Add to the cooked tapioca and mash well.
Fish curry
Grind to a smooth paste- coconut 1/2, roasted dhania seeds 4tbsp, haldi, mirchi pd.
Cut raw mango and fish pieces.
Mix all together and cook on low flame with water.
Add curry leaves, slit green chillies, salt to taste.
Serve hot or cold
To my Kids with Love 