Papaya, it’s Tropical, Sexy, and Delicious!

I never really liked Papaya!

It was hard to find a good one in the supermarket, and the taste and aroma were somewhat like a musky perfume, especially when over-ripe.

However, since moving to Cambodia, we now have many papaya trees growing on our farm. And after researching the health benefits and discovering new ways to eat it, I now cannot get enough of it!

Papaya, it’s tropical, sexy, and delicious!

Papaya – 3 of the best ways to eat it!

Okay, let’s get straight into it. The nutritional benefits can come later.

The fruit’s full potential can be unlocked in these 3 delicious recipes…

Pepper and Lime

Adding these two ingredients you will never look at papaya the same way. I can remember many years ago, whilst in Bali, eating papaya with lime. However, I had completely forgotten about it. Only since moving on to the farm and growing this tropical fruit, my memory jolted. Then we added some pepper, and a star is born!

Ingredients

• Ripe papaya x 1
• Fresh lime
• Ground black pepper

Method

1. Cut ripe papaya into your desired shape.
2. Squeeze some fresh lime into a bowl and add pepper. Mix.
3. That’s it, start dipping away. Delicious!

Green Papaya Salad

This salad stems from Laos and North-Eastern Thailand. It is commonly served with sticky rice, and also very nice with some crispy pork belly. Be careful, it is always served very spicy, so you can adjust your recipe to your heat tolerance!

Ingredients

• 1 x unripe papaya (medium size)
• Snake beans x 10
• Cherry tomatoes x 20
• Chili x 6 (or to taste)
• Thai basil (20 leaves)
• Fish sauce (a good splash)
• Lime juice (juice of 5 juicy limes)
• Palm sugar (60 grams)
• Garlic (5 medium cloves)
• Dried shrimp (optional, a small handful)
• Peanuts (a crushed handful)

Note: The measurements listed above are just a guide. You can twig it any way you want to your personal taste.

Method

1. Firstly, you will need to shred the papaya. Here I have included a YouTube link to safely shredding papaya. Then, cut the snake beans into 10cm pieces. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Slice the chilies and pick the leaves from the Thai basil. Reserve on the side!
2. Let’s make the dressing. In a mortar and pestle, add the garlic and palm sugar and grind to a paste. Throw in the chilies and slightly bruise them. Next, add the fish sauce and lime juice and gently combine.
3. Now for the fun bit. Gather all the ingredients from step 1 and slowly add them into the mortar and pestle, and gently bruise them whilst mixing with the dressing. Once you are happy with the consistency transfer to a serving dish. Bang! Spicy papaya salad. Top with crushed peanuts and serve with sticky rice.

Side note 1: Taste the dressing as you go. It’s important to have a sweet, spicy, salty, and sour balance. But, more importantly, to your taste.

Side note 2: If you only have a small mortar and pestle don’t despair. Only mix the dressing in the mortar and pestle. All the other ingredients can be transferred to a large bowl and tossed together with the dressing. However, it is best to don a pair of plastic gloves and mix them thoroughly with your hands. In doing so, you will extract the juice from the tomatoes whilst bruising the other ingredients. Viola, all the ingredients will now have soaked up that yummy dressing!

Papaya Salsa

This salsa will make an excellent little side dish. It can accompany crispy pork belly, seared tuna, or just serve it up with some tortilla chips.

Ingredients

• Ripe papaya x 1/2
• Garlic x 1 clove crushed
• Chilies x 3 medium chilies sliced
• Black pepper (to taste)
• Lime juice (juice of 2 limes)
• Spring onions x 4 sliced thinly
• Eshallots (small red onions) x 3 sliced thinly
• Thai basil x 15 leaves

Method

1. Cut the papaya into 4cm cubes and set aside.
2. Next, crush the garlic and slice the chilies. Then, finely slice the spring onions and eshallots and pick the basil leaves. Squeeze the juice of 2 limes and mix everything together.
3. Finally, set the papaya on a serving dish and gently combine all the other ingredients over the top. There it is! A simple, zingy, and slightly spicy papaya salsa.

Note: This is best eaten right away, while the papaya is fresh and firm.

Health Benefits

There are numerous health benefits that stem from this tropical fruit. Papayas are an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K.

It may also help in protecting against cancer, fever, bone health, diabetes, heart disease and asthma. It can also lower blood pressure and aid in digestion.

The leaves from the papaya plant are also very medicinal. Here in Cambodia, it is commonly used in their cooking. Alternatively, the juice from the leaves can be extracted and added to a juice or smoothie.

In Conclusion

Here in Cambodia, papaya plants grow year-round. They thrive in a tropical climate with a well drained soil.

I hope you can enjoy these recipes and please share some of your favorite ways to eat this tropical fruit in the comments below. I would love to learn other ways to eat it!

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