Kappa Chips/ Tapioca chips

I love munching on these Tapioca chips. They are so addictive that you can't just stop. I remember getting it while we used to take the train ride form kerala to the township that I grew up in. Forget about these chips getting to the destination, it just wouldn't survive the four day train journey. We would finish it off in the train itself. 

I somehow prefer these match stick shaped tapioca chips rather than the round ones. My lil one also loves it, so its just the perfect excuse to make them at home. I used to think that it would be a huge task to chop those hard tapioca roots. But I was surprised when I actually tried them the first time. Wasn't at all difficult as I had expected. I would suggest to make it at home if you are a tapioca chips lover like us, because nothing beats the taste of freshly homemade chips. 

Ingredients

1. About 12 inch of tapioca root
2. Oil for deep frying
3. Red chilly powder to taste 
4. Salt to taste

Method

• Skin out the tapioca root. Cut it into logs of 1 3/4 - 2 inch length. Wash it thoroughly. Slice and chop it into thin matchstick like pieces. 
• Take water in a bowl and keep the sliced tapioca pieces in it untill you are done with chopping.
• Rinse the tapioca pieces in water couple of times to remove the starch. 
• Drain out the tapioca pieces from the water and dry it on a kitchen towel to remove excess water.
• Heat the oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot, turn down the heat to medium high and start frying the tapioca chips.
• Drain out the fried tapioca chips on to a colander. Sprinkle some salt and chilly powder. Toss it couple of times to spread it evenly. 
• Remove it onto a dry plate lined with paper towel, to drain away excess oil. 
• Once it cools down, store it in an air tight container.

Tips

1. Once the desired temperature has been arrived, adjust the heat between medium to medium-high while frying the chips. Else the chips might look crispy and dark, however, would stay uncooked inside.
2. Slicing the tapioca in even thickness will help in even frying of the tapioca chips.
3. Frying in coconut oil will make it taste better. But we liked it when fried in canola oil too.