Papaya plants are prevalent in south India. You can find papaya plants in almost everyone’s backyard in South India. Papaya plants are also grown abundantly in Central America, Thailand, and in many other tropical regions of the world. Although papaya fruits are papular in the world, green papayas also have its value among the vegetables. Green papayas or unripe papayas are rich in potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin A.
Here is a healthy and delicious green papaya recipe from Kerala, India. You can make this traditional dish with shredded fresh green papaya combined with coconut, onion, ginger, garlic, curry lives, and a touch of turmeric powder. My mom made this often, and the aroma of the curry reminds me of my mom and her kitchen. Green papaya stir-fry is a delicious side dish with some warm rice.
Cuisine: Kerala
Course: Side Dish
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servs: 5-7
Ingredients
1 medium papaya, peeled, seeded, and shredded
1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup water
1 onion, sliced
1 sprig curry leaves, stem removed
1 jalapeno pepper or 2 chiles
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 tablespoon coconut oil or any cooking oil.
Cooking Directions
1. Remove the stem and skin from the papaya, cut it into round halves and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Halve each papaya pieces and cut it into several long pieces. Remove the thin white tissue from the center of each piece.
2. Shred the papaya pieces using small side of the blade on a food processor, mince, or grate it.
3. Cut jalapeño pepper into small round pieces
4. Heat oil in a pan
5. Add mustard seeds, cover it with a lid, and allow it to pop. Remove the lid once it stops popping.
6. Add onion, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, and jalapeño pepper. Sauté this for a minute.
7. Add the shredded papaya, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and mix well. Cover and cook for five minutes.
8. After five minutes, take off the lid and mix everything.
9. Add coconut and turmeric powder to the center. Cover this with papaya, and cook for ten more minutes.
10. Remove the lid, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and mix everything. Taste and see if there is enough salt. Add more salt if needed.
You can serve papaya stir-fry (papaya thorn) with rice.
