Potato Mappas Recipe | Potato Curry Kerala Style

Winter is here and besides the usual dishes on our menu, we like to add this Potato Mappas recipe to our festive repertoire. It is a deeply comforting and satisfying dish and brings holiday cheer to our home. Our easy potato mappas recipe can be enjoyed with freshly made appams or rice if appams are unavailable.

Potato mappas Kerala style can be described as a gently spiced potato curry or stew in coconut milk, a simple recipe that elevates the humble spud to special status. It more than does justice to the ever present potatoes in the kitchen that scream to be made in a style different from the usual aloo sabzi, aloo paneer variety.
 

It is generally agreed that the best potato mappas recipe comes from the Syrian Christian community of Kerala.

Cuisines of Kerala

Food in Kerala is broadly divided into Hindu, Muslim, and Christian cuisines, with each community having their distinct styles of cooking. The potato mappas curry recipe is made in the homes of the Syrian Christians or St. Thomas Christians of Kerala. Mappas usually refers to a chicken stew made with chicken, potatoes, onions, and shallots in light spices and fresh pressed coconut milk, all of which will go into our potato mappas recipe as well. As you move from one region of Kerala to another, the mappas take varied forms. For example, in central Kerala you are likely to come across a similar dish with lamb instead of chicken.
 

Syrian Christian food at a glance

The Syrian Christian community in Kerala used regional ingredients such as coconut, rice, spices, and seafood which quickly became a part of their own recipes. Coconut milk was, for example, used to replace cream in their vegetable stew and chicken stew or ishtew as the locals call it. Coconut milk made the preparation more flavourful along with the use of local spices such as pepper, coriander, feel, and star anise.
 

Besides Chicken Mappas and Potato Mappas (known as kizhangu mappas in Malayalam), the Syrian Christians also make Duck Mappas which are served on special occasions. The Meen Pattichattu is their fiery fish-based dish which uses the sour ingredient, kodumbuli. Fish mappas , a spicier version of fish moilee, sometimes known as molee is also made. While the duck preparation derives its flavours from the sweeter spices such as fennel, cinnamon, star anise along with coconut milk, the fish preparation is made using mustard seeds, curry leaves, powdered coriander, and coconut milk. Besides, a traditional Syrian Christian kitchen also serves kozhi pidi or chicken curry with rice and a variety of meat roasts.
 

Mappas are called 'papas' in some regions as it is the Portuguese term for potatoes. Some believe that the word ‘mappas’ is derived from 'Christmas Papa' as Santa Claus is referred to. The dish is for papa and ‘mappas’ is then, just a tweaked version of the same.

Fun Fact: Mappas is often served as one of the dishes on occasions like baptism.
 

How to cook potato mappas well:

Since our potato curry Kerala style recipe or potato mappas is a subtly spiced dish, one needs to prepare it with a light touch to arrive at the flavours that define this dish. First, the use of coconut oil in the tempering enhances the flavour manifold. If you like you could use regular vegetable oil, but the traditional potato mappas recipe calls for coconut oil. The coconut oil has to be gently heated before adding mustard seeds and curry leaves or the tempering can burn and turn the dish bitter. Green chillies and chopped ginger add a slight kick of heat and a depth of flavour to the recipe.
 

Onions and shallots go in next. And this is another stage where you need to be a bit watchful. You need to cook these two ingredients till they turn translucent till just before they start to colour. A touch more and they go brown which is not the desired colour. The idea is to mellow the pungent flavours of the onion and let them render a bit of their sweetness to the dish. The powdered spices i.e. coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, fennel powder (saunf), and salt need to be quickly stirred in to just coat the onions and shallots.
 

Coconut milk should always be extracted fresh for the flavours in the recipe to shine. It makes a world of difference in any recipe that requires coconut milk and you will surely notice the difference in this potato mappas recipe. However, if you do not have coconuts on hand or are in a hurry, you could use canned coconut milk. Second press coconut milk (thin coconut milk) goes in first and then the potatoes which will simmer along in the spiced coconut milk. First press coconut milk, which is thick, is added towards the end and simmered for just two to three minutes to make this dish creamy and flavourful. Thick coconut milk should not be brought to a boil and boiling changes the flavour.
 

Watch our step-by-step instructional potato mappas recipe video to guide you through the easy process of making mappas and review the recipe that tells you in detail how it is done.
 

Serving suggestions for Potato Mappas Kerala Style:

We love our potato mappas curry recipe to be accompanied with appams and idiyappams. You can also serve it with rice or mop it up with a flaky Malabar parotta.
 

Learn how to make perfect potato mappas at home with our easy recipe and step by step pictures and video
 

If it is just potatoes you want, you can see all our Potato Recipes right here!

Or read more in our article on Traditional Indian Cooking Techniques if you have an interest in learning about Indian cuisine.