TAPIOCA RECIPES - TAPIOCA BIRYANI/KAPPA BIRYANI/TAPIOCA WITH MEAT

Tapioca Biryani/Kappa Biryani

Tapioca biryani or kappa biryani is a simple and wholesome dish to prepare before the dinner kicks in. As tapioca helps in bringing back the authentic taste that is traditional yet modern in all Kerala delicacies, i try to include any of tapioca dishes while serving my guests during special occasions. As a Keralite, I used to cook kappa/tapioca in different ways. Kappa puzhukku, kappa meen mulakittath, kappa with beef (tapioca with beef), kappa biryani, kappa cutlet (tapioca cutlet/tapioca balls), ellum kappayum etc. Tapioca with beef or ellum kappayum or kappa biryani or kappa irachi is almost same with slight variations. Kids dislike eating this tapioca as its own and so this is the great way to make them eat tapioca. Moreover, kappa biryani is one of the popular and common street food snacks in Kerala. You can also substitute beef with chicken though you will not get the traditional kappa biryani flavor. The recipe calls for simple ingredients. Here the cooked tapioca is drained , mashed lightly and then added to the spiced beef masala. Let us see how to make kappa biryani/ tapioca biryani.

INGREDIENTS

FOR PREPARATION OF TAPIOCA/KAPPA

Tapioca/kappa /yuca/cassava -   500g, cut into small pieces

Turmeric powder                    - half tsp

Salt                                          - to taste

FOR PREPARATION OF BEEF

Beef                            - 250 g

Turmeric powder        - quarter tsp

Coriander powder       - 1 tsp

Pepper powder            - 1 tsp

Garam masala powder- half tsp

Shallots                       - 5 nos

Tomato     - half of a medium sized tomato

Salt

Curry leaves

FOR MAKING BIRYANI

Onion                          - 1, sliced

Green chilies               - 1, chopped

Ginger garlic crushed  - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves                - a handful of

Chilli powder              - 1 tsp

Coriander powder       - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder         - half tsp

Garm masala powder   - half tsp

Salt                               - if required

Oil for sauteing

FOR TEMPERING BIRYANI

Oil                             - 2 tsp

Dried red chilies        - 3 nos

Curry leaves              - few

PREPARATION

• Cook the tapioca/kappa - Clean the tapioca/kappa and peel the skin. Then chop into small pieces. Cook it in a wide opened vessel along with turmeric powder, salt, and required water. Cook until the tapioca is done and then drain it into a colander. Set aside.
• Cook the beef - Add all the ingredients given under the preparation of beef in a pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles or until done(depends upon the tenderness of meat). Do not add water as the beef itself will release water. When done, set aside in a bowl along with some gravy.
• Make Tapioca biryani - Heat a pan with oil. Saute green chilies, curry leaves, ginger garlic crushed for a while. Then add sliced onion and saute until lightly golden.  Then add spice powders one by one. Mix well. After a while, add the prepared beef along with some gravy. Mix well to combine. Let it cook for 5 minutes. Now add the cooked and drained tapioca. Mix well and mash it lightly. Check for salt and let it cook over a low flame for few minutes.
• Now heat a pan with 2 tsp of oil. Saute dried red chilies and curry leaves. Pour it over the prepared tapioca biryani. 
• Serve hot along with any condiment, pickle or salad.

CHICKEN CAKE - LAYERED CHICKEN CAKE / SPICY CHICKEN LAYER CAKE

SPICY SNACK / LAYERED CHICKEN CAKE

Bread snacks are the family favorite and a great snack to attract kids. I have posted many bread snacks and recipes with bread on my blog recently. Today am with a spicy chicken cake that is too perfect for a get-together or parties. Is it cake? Or is it bread sandwich? But for sure, this is a tasty evening snack for the whole family. Such bread recipes for snacks are always kids favorite.  This layered spicy chicken cake is an impressive bread snack stuffed with chicken filling. The filling is all up to your choice. You can stuff this bread cake with veg sandwich fillings or fish sandwich filling or like so. So whip up this chicken cake that everyone is going to be talking about it with no doubt. You can also serve this chicken cake with a single layer. So friends, tuck in. Just pick a slice of this cake, dip it in any sauce or condiment and enjoy. It was just mouth melting with spicy chicken filling. Hope you all enjoyed this snack as well and will be back with chicken cupcakes soon. So let us see how to make this yummy spicy snack at home quickly. Here is the recipe showing how to make chicken cake/ bread cake recipe/ chicken cake southern living/bread cake recipe/bread recipes/bread recipes for kids/easy snacks with bread/sandwich bread recipes/indian snacks with bread/spicy evening snacks/easy evening snacks/hot snacks. 

INGREDIENTS (for a small cake)

Bread     - 1 pack (it depends upon the size of the cake)

Ghee      - 1 tbsp, for greasing

Coriander leaves  - to garnish

For the chicken filling

Minced chicken                - 1.5 cups

Carrot grated and ground - 1 carrot, medium sized

Chicken masala or chicken stock cube - 1 tbsp, optional

Garlic powder                   - 1 tsp + 1 tsp

Coriander leaves               - quarter a cup, very finely sliced

Onion                                - 1, big, finely sliced

Oil                                     - 1 tbsp

For the egg batter

Egg                  - 4 nos, large

Milk                 - 3 tbsp

Salt                   - to taste

Pepper powder  - quarter tsp

PREPARATION

• For minced chicken - Marinate 250 gms of chicken pieces with turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, and salt. Add half a cup of water and cook it until the chicken is done and water gets dried completely. (add fewer spices and salt than required). When done, let it cool and shred the chicken and mince it or pulse it in the grinder. Set aside.
• For egg batter  - Beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper well in a wide bowl. Set aside.
• For the chicken filling - Heat a pan with oil. Saute onion until golden. When done, set aside half of the sauteed onion in a bowl. Now add ground carrot and saute well. Add half of the minced chicken along with garlic powder and salt. Saute well. Transfer it to a bowl.So our carrot chicken layer is done. Now let us prepare the green layer or coriander chicken layer. For that, add the prepared sauteed onion to the same pan. To this, add the minced chicken and garlic powder. Saute well and add sliced coriander leaves. When done, transfer it to a bowl. So coriander chicken layer is ready.

• So let us make the chicken cake - Remove the sides of the bread and set aside. Bread required for this cake depends upon the size of the pan used. So you have to use more or less bread than given in the recipe.
• Heat a pan and grease with ghee. Once the pan is hot, make the flame very low(very important). Now dip each bread slices in the egg batter and line in the pan. Keep the bread slices close to each other and make a round shape with these bread slices  (you have to cut the slices to fill the gaps and for making a round shape. Please check the video given above).
• Then switch off the flame (very important).  Spread the prepared carrot chicken filling over it evenly. Again cover the stuffing with the bread slices by dipping each slice in egg batter and arranging closely to each other. You can level the top with the back of a spoon or spatula.
• Grease the top with some ghee and gently flip the cake. (if you are worried to flip the cake inside the pan, then you can just invert it to another greased pan. ) Switch on the flame and make the flame to medium-low(note it carefully)
• Now pour a spoon of egg batter over it. Spread the coriander chicken filling evenly and cover it with bread slices (the same process). Level the top with a spatula, sprinkle some ghee over it and pour some egg batter. Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Gently flip again, pour some egg batter and garnish with coriander leaves. 
• When both sides are done, transfer it to plate.
• Once cooled, cut into desired shapes.

SHRIMP CURRY RECIPES - NO OIL PRAWNS CURRY

NO OIL SHRIMP CURRY

Here am with a simple and yet healthy no oil prawns curry which is beneficial to those who are more concerned about their weight and those who want to avoid fat completely. So no need to compramise on taste, do try this delicious shrimp curry without oil. Here is the recipe showing how to make shrimp curry without oil/ no oil prawns curry/shrimp recipes/ curry recipes.

INGREDIENTS

Prawns     - 250 g

Tomato     - 2 nos, medium sized, sliced

Turmeric powder       - half tsp

Kashmir chili powder- 2 tsp

Coriander powder      - 2 tsp

Ginger garlic paste     - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves               

Salt

Coconut oil (1 tbsp) if required - finally to top with

PREPARATION

• Take a clay pot or manchatti or a wok. Add in all those ingredients except prawns and coconut oil (optional).  You can also add a green chili too (as per your heat preference)
• Mash it well with your hand. Then add the cleaned prawns. Let it cook for few minutes.
• Once it starts to boil, add a cup of hot water and cook until the gravy thickens and prawns are done. Check for salt.
• Finally, if required add a tablespoons of coconut oil on the top and remove from flame. Let it stay covered for 30 minutes (for best result). 

MUSHROOM RECIPES - MUSHROOM CHILLI GRAVY RECIPE

MUSHROOM CHILLI GRAVY RECIPE 

Cooking is my passion but i hate to clear the mess it creates after cooking a great meal. So for those who love mess-free cooking, here is a great recipe. Mushroom, the veggie my family love the most. So I often create wonders in my kitchen with this versatile veggie. I know there are hundreds of varieties prepared with this vegetable. Yet here am with a yummy gravy recipe which is very flavorful. Absolutely no compromise in taste and texture. right?Let me remind you something while making this yummy dish. Use fresh mushroom while making any mushroom recipes that gives a promise of success for sure. So let us move on to the recipe showing how to make mushroom chilli gravy recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Mushroom   - 500 g, sliced

Oil

Chopped coriander leaves

For marination

All purpose flour/maida - 4 tsp

Corn flour             - 3 tsp

Garlic powder      - 1 tsp

Salt                      - to taste (add less)

For the sauce

Garlic Cloves     - 5 nos, finely chopped

Green chilies      - 2 nos, chopped

Onion                  - 1, big, chopped

Bell peppers        - as required, cubed

Tomato sauce       - 1 tsp + 2 tsp 

Chili powder        - half tsp

Pepper powder     - half a tsp

Soy sauce             - 1 tbsp

Cornflour              - 1 tsp mixed in some water

Sugar                     - 1 tsp

PREPARATION

• Make the marinade by adding all ingredients given under for marination in a bowl. Make a thick paste by adding water little by little. Do not make the batter too thick or too thin. Marinate the sliced mushroom with this marinade.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated mushrooms one by one until crisp and golden. Fry in batches. Transfer it to a plate. Set aside.
• Now make the sauce. For that, heat oil in a pan(2 tsp). Add the chopped garlic and saute for a minute. Then add chilies and onion. Saute until onion turns translucent. 
• Then add bell peppers cubed. Saute for a while. Mix 1 tsp of tomato sauce with half tsp of chili powder and add it along with pepper powder. Mix well. Add half a cup of warm water and mix well. Let it cook for a while. 
• Then add soy sauce and cornflour mixed water. Saute well. Once it starts to thick, add the fried mushroom and mix well.
• Once the gravy thickens, add quarter a cup of warm water and mix very well. Let it cook well for few minutes.
• Finally, add 2 tsp of tomato sauce and pepper powder. Add sugar and mix well. Let it cook for a minute and serve hot. Add sauces as per your taste and preference. 
• It pairs best with chapati, ghee rice etc.