Kappa Biryani
- 85 min
- medium
- Serves 4
Kappa biryani is a Kerala one-pot dish of tapioca and mutton in a shallot and spice masala with roasted coconut. Medium-spicy, serves 4, about 85 minutes.
You’ll need: Pressure Cooker
Good for: Bakrid, Party
Ingredients
- Tapioca750 grams
- Water, For Rinsing1000 ml
- Mutton500 grams
- Water300 ml
- Turmeric Powder2.5 grams
- Salt4 tsp
- Water, For Boiling1500 ml
- Coconut Oil2 tbsp
- Mustard Seeds1 tsp
- Fennel Seeds1 tsp
- Dry Red Chilli2 grams
- Curry leaves3 grams
- Small Onion (Shallots), Thinly Sliced150 grams
- Green Chilli, Slit15 grams
- Ginger, Finely Chopped8 grams
- Garlic, Chopped24 grams
- Red Chilli Powder3 grams
- Coriander Powder4.5 grams
- Cumin Powder½ tsp
- Black Pepper Powder½ tsp
- Garam Masala Powder1 tsp
- Coriander Leaves, Chopped10 grams
- Coconut (Grated), For Grinding1 cup
Nutrition
Per 1 person, and for all 4 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.
| Nutrient | Per 1 person | All 4 people |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 686kcal | 2744kcal |
| Protein | 31g | 123g |
| Carbohydrate | 87g | 348g |
| Fat | 25g | 101g |
| Fibre | 8.6g | 34g |
| Sugar | 8.1g | 32g |
Cookd masalas for mutton
Method
Peel the tapioca and cut it into equal cubes. Rinse the cubes with 1 litre water and remove any hard centre pieces. Wash the mutton and cut it into small pieces. Break the dry red chillies, peel and slice the shallots, slit the green chillies, and chop the ginger, garlic and coriander leaves.
Add the mutton to a pressure cooker with 300 ml water, 1 g turmeric powder and 1 tsp salt. Pressure cook on medium flame for 5 to 6 whistles, about 20 minutes, until the mutton is soft. Let the pressure release on its own.
Bring 1.5 litres water to a boil on high flame for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tapioca and 2 teaspoons salt. Boil on medium flame for 15 to 18 minutes until the pieces are soft enough to break with a spoon, then drain completely.
Heat coconut oil in a kadai on medium flame for 1 minute until hot. Add mustard seeds, fennel seeds, dry red chillies and curry leaves. Fry for 1 minute until the mustard seeds stop spluttering.
Add the shallots, green chillies, ginger and garlic. Fry on medium flame for 5 to 6 minutes until the shallots turn light golden and the raw smell goes.
Lower the flame and add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, pepper powder, garam masala and salt. Stir for 1 minute until the raw smell of the spices fades.
Add the cooked mutton with its stock. Boil on medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes until the gravy thickens a little and coats the mutton.
Add the boiled tapioca and mix gently so the pieces do not mash completely. Cover and cook on low flame for 8 to 10 minutes until the tapioca is hot and coated with the masala.
Meanwhile dry-roast the grated coconut in a small pan on low flame for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until golden brown. Add the roasted coconut, coriander leaves and the extra curry leaves to the kadai. Mix once and serve hot.
Before you start
- How long does Kappa Biryani take?
- 1 hour 25 minutes from start to finish. That is 20 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 5 minutes of cooking.
- How many people does Kappa Biryani serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Kappa Biryani vegetarian?
- No, it contains meat or fish.
- Is Kappa Biryani spicy?
- It is medium: 2 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
- What do I need to make Kappa Biryani?
- 500 grams Mutton, 750 grams Tapioca, 1.5 grams Turmeric Powder, 2 grams Dry Red Chilli, 2 grams Curry leaves, 150 grams Small Onion (Shallots), and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Kappa Biryani?
- Yes, this one is cooked under pressure.
- How many calories are in Kappa Biryani?
- About 686 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.
Tips from other cooks
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