Tapioca - Yuca - Roast - Maravalli/Kuchi kilangu varuval

Tapioca, Cassava, Yuca - this is a tuber with many names. In Tamil it is called Kuchi Kilangu or Maravalli Kilangu. In our neck of the woods it was commonly referred to as Kuchi Kilangu. Whichever name you know it by they are delicious and easy to cook though the peeling of the skin and cutting might take longer than the actual cooking.

Tapioca chips or kuchi kilangu chips as they are called in Tamil was a favorite snack item when we were kids. The thick cut and crunchy chips with spicy seasoning but a sweetness of its own was a lot different than eating the ubiquitous potato chips and they were not as common as the potato chips. To confess I had not eaten boiled tapioca or cooked fresh tapioca before I came here to the US, unless I ate some without knowing what it was.

I used to be so fond of it that it was regular on my weekly grocery list. Then as with everything else it completely stopped. A couple of weeks ago I picked it up to roast it and now I am hooked again.

Tapioca Roast - Kuchi Kilangu Varuval
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:25 minutes
Ingredients

1. 2 medium size tapioca, peeled and cubed 1" pieces - about 4 cups
2. 1 tbsp sambhar powder or 1/2 tbsp red chili powder
3. salt to taste
4. seasonings: cumin seeds
5. 1/2 tbsp oil

Method

1. Boil a pot of water and add the cubed tapioca and let it cook for about 6-8 minutes. Check often because you don't want this to be mushy. It should be fully cooked but not falling apart. Drain and set aside.
2. In a heavy bottomed pan add oil and when hot add the cumin seeds.
3. Add in the drained tapioca pieces and stir fry for about 6-8 minutes. Toss at regular intervals and do not let it stick to the bottom.
   
4. Add salt and the sambhar or chili powder and continue to saute for another 6-8 minutes till it gets crispy and the spice powder is well coated. You can saute it longer if you want to get it even more crispier.

Serve as a side for rice or as an appetizer.

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