An urban legend from Kerala claims that the English word tapioca derives from the Malayalam word combination, “thappiyokka” . The story behind the legend claims that a European, while in Kerala, once came across a native crouching on the ground, digging under a rather thin and tall plant. Tapioca is 100 % starch, protein free and gluten free.
If you have kids born and brought up outside Kerala ..they won’t like the sticky and gooey stuff. According to them, Kappa Puzhukku is a sticky item. So to get rid of the sticky feel, I found this recipe in Mrs K M Mathew’s recipe book. It worked out well..ABCD’s(American Born Confused Desis) started loving them.Tapioca tarts, with minced meat or roasted prawn/shrimp filling, make an excellent combination.
Ingredients
1. Tapioca – 2 cups
2. Oil – 1 big spoon
3. Shallots (chopped fine) – 5
4. Green chilly (chopped fine) – 2
5. Turmeric powder -1 pinch
6. Salt -to taste
