Kappa Biriyani with Pork Recipe/ Ellum Kappem/ Tapioca and Pork Biriyani / Yucca root and Pork/ Cassava and Pork/ കപ്പ ബിരിയാണി/ എല്ലും ക പ്പേം

Kappa Biriyani (Ellum Kappem) is a popular Kerala breakfast that is usually prepared with tapioca and beef bones/ beef meat/ or both. Instead of beef, this recipe uses pork neck bones. The taste is exactly same as the biriyani with beef. The overall cooking method is to cook the meat/bones and tapioca separately and mix both of them together with a spicy coconut gravy.

If you prefer beef bones, just modify the recipe by switching pork with beef.  

Ingredients:
Pork neck bones-3 lb

#1: for cooking tapioca
Tapioca-3 lb
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Salt

#2: for cooking pork
Onion- 3 medium sized, sliced
Chilly powder-1 tsp
Coriander powder- 3 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder- 1 tsp
Meat masala-3 tsp
Ginger, finely chopped- 2 tsp
Garlic, finely chopped, 2 tsp
Curry leaves-2 sprigs
Whole garam masala, crushed (cardamon-3, cloves-5, cinnamon stick-1")
Salt

#3: for biriyani
Grated coconut- 1 cup
Green chilly-3 to 5
Shallots/small onion-4
Curry leaves-2 sprigs
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Meat masala-12 tsp
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
Whole spices (cardamom-2, cloves-2, cinnamon stick-1")
Salt

Step 1: Cut pork bones into medium size pieces. Marinate it with ingredients #2 for 30 min and cook in a pressure cooker (No need to add water while cooking pork). Once it is cooked, boil off excess water from the gravy. For the biriyani, a gravy of medium thickness is required. The gravy shouldn't be too watery or loose.

Step 2: Clean tapioca and chop into medium size cubes. While chopping, remove its vein. Add plenty of water so that all pieces are immersed in water. Cook the tapioca in water with a few pinches of turmeric powder until the tapioca is soft. Be sure not to overcook tapioca. It should be firm otherwise it is gonna mash up at the end. Once cooked, add salt, and drain water.

cooked tapioca

Step 3: In a pan, slightly warm up meat masala, garam masala, and coriander powder from ingredients #3 and crush/grind (using a blender or mortar and pestle) with the rest of the ingredients #3. Transfer the crushed coconut mixture into a bowl. You can wash the blender/mortar with 1/2 cup of water and transfer into the same bowl.

Step 4: Transfer the cooked tapioca into a large saucepan. Spread the cooked pork from step 1 over the it. Next, spread over the crushed coconut mixture along with the wash. Cover the sauce pan and steam for 5-10 min. Then, open the lid, hold the two handles of saucepan and try to toss the entire contents. Next, to mix the contents, stir using the backside of a long wooden spoon in a circular motion. Do not overly mash up the tapioca.  

Serve hot!!

Ela Ada/ Ila Ada/ Wheat Ada/ Steamed Wheat flour Parcels in Banana Leaves/ ഇല അട

Ingredients (to make three medium size ada):

Wheat flour-1 cup
Water
Salt
Grated coconut-1/2 cup
Scraped jaggery-1/2 cup
Crushed Cardamom-1
Banana Leaf
Steamer

Method (Follow steps 1-4):

Step1: Sprinkle the required amount of salt in wheat flour and make a dough by adding small portions of water. The consistency of the dough should be less tight than a chapati dough.

Step 2:Combine grated coconut, scraped jaggery, and crushed cardamom in a bowl.



Step 3: Clean the banana leaf with water and wipe off with a paper towel. Wet your hands with water and also sprinkle some water on the leaf. Take one third of the dough and spread it on the banana leaf to a round or oval shape using your fingers. Place and evenly spread one third of the coconut-jaggery mixture over one half of the flattened dough. Fold the leaf in half (so that the ada will have a semicircle/semi-oval shape )







Step 4: Steam for 20-30 min. Serve hot.



Ela ada is usually served a breakfast or a snack item.

Goat Curry

  

Ingredients:

Goat - 1/2 Kg
Onion-3, thinly sliced
Oil-2 tbsp
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Curry leaves-1  sprig
Tomato-2, cubed

#1
Chilly powder- 1 tsp
Pepper powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Salt

#2
Ginger-2" piece
Garlic-8-10 nos
Shallots-3-5 nos
Curry leaves-1 sprig

#3
Chilly powder- 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 3 tsp
Garam masala powder- 1 tsp
Meat masala powder- 2 tsp
Fennel powder- 1tsp
Pepper powder- 1 tsp
Salt


#4
Green chilly-5 nos
Curry leaves- 1 sprig
Cardamom-3
Cloves-3
Cinnamon-1" piece

Method:

1) Cut goat into medium size pieces and marinate with ingredients #1 at least for an hour.



2) Heat oil in a large sauce pan and splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves.

3) Saute sliced onions until they become transparent and golden brown.

4) Meanwhile, crush ingredients #2 and add it into the sauteed onions. Stir until the raw smell of ginger-garlic is gone.
















5)  Combine ingredients #3 in a bowl and add the powders into the above sauteed onions followed by cubed tomatoes. You may use the tip of the spoon to break up/mash the tomatoes. Saute all of them until it becomes a thick gravy and you will see the oil separates from the gravy.

6) Stir in the marinated goat into the above cooked gravy and coat the meat with gravy. Transfer everything into a pressure cooker.

7) Crush the ingredients #4 and spread it over the mutton-gravy mix. You may add 1/2 cup of water. Pressure cook for 3 whistles or the until the goat is done. Boil off excess water if you prefer thick gravy.





The curry can be served with rice, porotta, chapathi or appam

Goat curry served with kerala porotta

Apple Preserves

Ingredients:
Apple - 6, peeled and cored
Lemon juice-3 tsp
Sugar- 1 cup
Water-1/4 cup
Nutmeg/ cinnamon- 3 pinches, ground

Method:
Chop the apples into small pieces. Combine chopped apples, water, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan and cook covered until the apples are done. Then, mash the apples using a potato masher. Boil off any water until the preserves is completely dry and thick. Finally sprinkle ground nutmeg and mix well.
Transfer into airtight jars once it is cooled to room temperature.

You can eat the preserves as a snack, or top with whip cream to make a dessert, or use it in baking as a filling/stuffing