Papaya Recipes

By Mary Heckrotte

The first papayas I saw were the last things I would want to eat. They sat there in a heap on the market table in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, each one bigger than an oversized and elongated football, all looking totally disgusting with their yellowish/greenish/orange skin blotched with black mold. I figured they must be another of those Third World experiences that had been coming our way since we left the US. I wouldn’t have tried them except that every time we ate out, a little papaya slice decorated our plates, as ubiquitous as plantains in the Eastern Caribbean. They looked much better peeled and sliced, all glowing in health, cool and refreshing like a juicy cantaloupe with added color. So I tried them. Once. I really did. But immediately I thought of a friend who said they taste the way dirty toes smell. I agreed.

In Trinidad, where the smaller pear-shaped papayas are a healthy green with a hint of yellow, a lovely Chinese woman taught me to choose the skinny rather than the round ones. She told me to take them home to blend into fruit smoothies or add to mixed fruit salads. I did, and found them fine when their musky taste was masked by the flavors of other fruits. At least they were low cost and nutritious.

In the San Blas Islands of Panama, fresh fruits and vegetables are hard to come by, and nothing is low cost except coconuts. When an enterprising Kuna Indian paddled by to take orders, I said “yes” to both pineapple and papaya. Two days later he delivered enough of each to feed the crew of a coast guard ship. We gobbled up pineapple au natural and then made pineapple-papaya preserves. Very nice! Not wanting to waste the rest of the papaya, I made a cobbler, too, substituting papaya for peaches. Really yummy! So, could there be other ways to use papaya?

You bet! This tropical fruit, known also in the Caribbean as a pawpaw, mamao, fruta bomba, lechosa, or tree melon, lends itself to everything from appetizers to desserts, with extracurricular functions as well. I still don’t like it all by itself but, by golly, I like it, I really do!

There are two types of papaya, Hawaiian and Mexican, and both are readily available year-round. Mexican papayas are the big guys, often more than 15 inches long and weighing over 10 pounds. When ripe, their skin turns from green to golden orange and the brown moldy blotches don’t actually hurt anything as long as they are not bruises or cuts. Their flesh is yellow or orange and is a little less intense than the Hawaiian type. The Hawaiian papayas are generally pear-shaped or round and weigh only about one pound each. They also have yellow skin when ripe, but the inside is bright orange or pinkish.

This versatile low-calorie fruit can be eaten green or ripe. It is full of vitamins A and C and is an excellent source of potassium. Green papaya lends itself nicely to shredding for slaws, can be sliced for salads, used to make green papaya preserves, or it can be cooked as a vegetable. Ripe papaya can be eaten alone or added to myriad other foods to make a wide variety of dishes. The center cavity of the fruit contains round seeds, like little black peas, that have a peppery taste. Though I have not tried it myself, I understand that in some of the Caribbean Islands, the young leaves are cooked and eaten like spinach — sounds good, anyway.

The papaya fruit, especially the skin, also contains a digestive enzyme called papain that is used to tenderize meat. The greener the fruit, the more abundant and active the papain. Some resources state emphatically that green papaya should NOT be eaten raw because of the enzymes it contains; other references give recipes for eating it green. I haven’t tried it myself, and would recommend more research before eating a raw green papaya. Also important to note is that some people are highly allergic to the pollen of the papaya flowers and may even react to any contact with the plant, fruit, or meat tenderizer containing papain.

According to several sources on the Internet, there are numerous medicinal uses of papaya and its enzymes, including the treatment of ulcers and diphtheria and to reduce swelling and fever after surgery. The enzymes are also used to “clarify beer, treat wool and silk before dyeing, to de-hair hides before tanning….” Papaya ”enters into toothpastes, cosmetics and detergents, as well as pharmaceuticals to aid digestion. In tropical folk medicine, the fresh latex is smeared on boils, warts, and freckles and given as a vermifuge…” But all that’s another article.

Papayas are most likely native to southern Mexico and Central America. They grow rapidly, from seed to fruit-yielding plants in one year. Some records show that seeds were shipped to Panama and the Dominican Republic in the early 1500s. Cultivation of the plants then spread to Bermuda, the Philippines, India, and Spain within the next hundred years. Today, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad, and Mexico export most of the world’s papayas. When you read about the gassing and irradiation that is done to preserve the fruits for export, you’ll be delighted to get your papaya fresh and natural right down at your friendly Caribbean market, even if it does have a few old dark spots on the outside.
Studies show that the flavor of ripe papaya is at its peak when its skin is colored about 80 percent yellow, and it should have a sweet smell. A papaya like this will continue to ripen rapidly at room temperature but will be good for another couple of days. If you chill it to no colder than 45 degrees, it will last up to three weeks. A dark green fruit will not ripen properly off the tree even though the skin may turn yellow. Choose a fruit that is without blemish and is firm but gives slightly to pressure of your flat palm. Wrap it in paper and treat it gently on the way home.

Just now we’re cruising in the northwestern Caribbean and since papayas have made themselves welcome in my galley, one of the big Mexican variety comes home with me most every week. (I confess that I miss the Eastern Caribbean’s smaller, more manageable Hawaiian type.) We’re still experimenting aboard Camryka, but we’ve definitely found papaya recipes that are keepers.

First, a few simple ideas:

• Scoop out fresh ripe papaya and fill the shell with chicken, seafood, or fruit salad.
• For a quick dessert, peel and slice ripe papaya, pour a little sweetened condensed milk on top and sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Grind papaya seeds and use them as a substitute for pepper.
• Use papaya seeds as a substitute for capers.
• Make a delicious marinade for any tough meat by adding soy sauce, garlic powder, and a bit of sugar to mashed ripe papaya. Cover meat in mixture and refrigerate for half a day or longer.
• Rather than using the good slices of your papaya to tenderize meat, use leaves or peels since they work even better.
• Puree extra-ripe papaya and use it as a topping for ice cream, pudding, pancakes, or mix it with yogurt.
• Don’t add raw papaya to gelatin or your gel won’t gel, but cooked papaya is fine.
• Depending on where you are, toss your papaya peels outside for the iguanas — they are a favorite iguana treat.
• Substitute green papaya in recipes for winter squash.
• Season green papaya with cinnamon, honey and butter and bake it to serve as a vegetable.
• In savory dishes, chives, cilantro, basil, mint, and rosemary are complimentary herbs for papaya.

And now, some full-fledged recipes:

Curried Papaya Chutney
1 1/2 Cups white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons mustard seeds
6 Cups firm, ripe papaya, chopped
2 Tablespoons curry powder
2 jalapeño peppers, minced
1 red onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced

In a large saucepan, bring vinegar, water, sugar, and mustard seeds to boil. Add papaya, curry powder, jalapeño peppers, onion, and garlic. Bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Stir mixture often to prevent scorching. Pour into hot sterilized jars. Seal and refrigerate one week before serving. Serve with crackers on cream cheese as an appetizer or serve as a condiment with chicken, shrimp, or pork. Makes approximately 4 pints.

Papaya-Mango-Avocado Salad with Papaya Seed Vinaigrette
1 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 Cup rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 small onion, chopped
1 Cup olive oil
3 Tablespoon papaya seeds
2 Cups seeded, peeled ripe papaya, cubed
1 large ripe mango, peeled, seeded, cubed
1 large avocado, peeled, seeded, cubed
1 head Romaine lettuce, torn into to bite-size pieces

In blender or food processor container, blend sugar, mustard, vinegar, salt, tarragon, and onion. With machine running, slowly add olive oil then add papaya seeds. Pour into a jar, cover, and chill at least two hours. Mix cubed papaya, mango, avocado, and lettuce in a salad bowl. Shake chilled dressing then pour over salad ingredients and serve. Serves 4 to 6, with extra dressing for another salad.

Baked Stuffed Papaya
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef
4 large tomatoes, peeled, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 under-ripe papayas, about 12 ounces each, cut in half, seeded
boiling water
4 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, heat oil and sauté onion, jalapeño, garlic, and beef until lightly browned. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, until most of the tomato liquid is absorbed. Divide mixture and fill cavities of papaya halves. Place filled papaya shells in a baking pan and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Pour boiling water into baking pan to within one inch of the top of the papayas. Bake at 350°F until papayas are fork tender, about 30 minutes. Serves 4.

Papaya Cobbler
1 1/2 Cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 Cup plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Cups of ripe papaya, thinly sliced
3/4 Cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

In a medium bowl, add sugar to beaten eggs and mix well. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour mixture into sugar-egg mixture. Add vanilla and stir to mix well. Gently fold in papayas and then nuts. Pour mixture into a greased two-quart baking pan. Bake at 350°F until knife inserted in center will come out clean, about 25 minutes. Serve warm with sweetened condensed milk dribbled on top.

Papaya Pie with Butter Cookie-Pecan Crust
Two-thirds cup melted butter
2 1/2 Cups ground butter cookie or vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 Cup sugar
1 Cup pecans, chopped fine
4 pounds ripe papaya, peeled, seeded, cubed
1 1/2 Cups brown sugar
1 Cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

In medium bowl, mix together the butter, cookie crumbs, one-half cup sugar, and pecans. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of two pie pans. Set aside.

Put papaya cubes into large pan. Add brown sugar and one cup white sugar. Stir to coat. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until the papaya is tender and can be mashed into smaller pieces. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves about halfway through cooking and stir often to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, gradually add some of the hot papaya mixture to the beaten eggs, stirring rapidly. Then pour this mixture into the larger pot and stir well. Spoon mixture into prepared piecrusts. Bake at 350°F until center is set, about 45 minutes. When cooled, dribble one-fourth cup of sweetened condensed milk over the top of each pie. Serve warm or cold. Makes two pies.