Kappa & Ayala Curry (Tapioca with Mackerel Curry)

Kappa (tapioca, also called cassava or yuca) and meen curry is the comfort food of Kerala's toddy shops and homes. The tapioca is boiled and mashed with coconut and curry leaves, the mackerel simmered in a sour, chilli-red sauce with kudampuli or tamarind.

Video by 2-Minute Recipes on YouTube. Our recipe below is our own home-style version, written in our own words – quantities and steps may differ from the video.

• Serves 4
• Prep 25 min
• Cook 45 min
• gluten-free · dairy-free · Spicy
• Famous in Kerala

Ingredients

• For the kappa: 800 g fresh or frozen cassava (yuca), peeled and cut in chunks, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp turmeric, 60 g grated coconut, 2 green chillies, 3 shallots, ½ tsp cumin, 1 tbsp coconut oil, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 10 curry leaves
• For the ayala curry: 4 mackerels, cleaned and cut in thick pieces, 3 tbsp coconut oil, ½ tsp fenugreek seeds, 10 shallots sliced, 1 tbsp ginger and garlic chopped, 15 curry leaves, 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp tamarind paste (or 3 pieces kudampuli), 1 tsp salt

Method

1. Boil the cassava in plenty of salted water with turmeric for 20–25 minutes until soft. Drain well and remove any woody core.
2. Crush coconut, green chillies, shallots and cumin coarsely. Mix into the cassava and mash lightly. Fry mustard seeds and curry leaves in coconut oil and pour over.
3. For the curry, heat coconut oil, add fenugreek, then shallots, ginger, garlic and curry leaves and fry until soft.
4. Lower the heat, add chilli powders and turmeric and stir for 30 seconds, then add tamarind, salt and 400 ml water and bring to a boil.
5. Add the mackerel, shake the pan and simmer for 10–12 minutes until the fish is cooked and the sauce is thick and red. Serve the curry poured over the kappa.

Tip: Cassava must always be cooked thoroughly – never eat it raw.

Shop the ingredients

Everything you need for this recipe is in stock at Farmah’s – order online or pick it up at Annenstraße 41, Graz.