Photo: Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Kerala · Dessert

Kappa (Tapioca Halwa)

Tapioca/cassava (kappa) cooked to a smooth mash and worked into a halwa with jaggery or sugar, ghee, and cardamom — a humble, rustic sweet from Kerala's working-class food tradition that transforms an everyday staple into a treat.

🧺 Ingredients

• Tapioca/cassava (kappa): 600 g (peeled)
• Jaggery: 250 g
• Ghee: 60 ml
• Thick coconut milk: 150 ml
• Cashew nuts: 25 g
• Coconut pieces: 30 g
• Cardamom: 4 pods (crushed)
• Water: 500 ml
• Salted cooking water removes tapioca's slight bitterness
• Kappa Halwa stores for 3 days at room temperature

👩‍🍳 How to make Kappa

1. Peel and cube 600 g tapioca.
2. Cook in boiling salted water for 12–15 minutes until completely soft and a fork passes through without resistance.
3. Drain.
4. Remove any fibrous central vein.
5. Mash completely until smooth.
6. Dissolve 250 g jaggery in 80 ml water over medium heat.
7. Strain.
8. Add mashed tapioca to jaggery syrup in a heavy pan over medium heat.
9. Stir vigorously for 12–15 minutes until the mixture thickens, darkens, and begins to pull away from the sides.
10. Add thick coconut milk over medium heat.
11. Stir 3 minutes.
12. Add ghee — 1 tbsp at a time — stirring after each addition.
13. Add cardamom.
14. Cook until the halwa is glossy and thick.
15. Fry coconut pieces and cashews in a little extra ghee until golden.
16. Pour halwa into greased tray.
17. Top with fried coconut and cashews.
18. Cool before cutting.

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