The Wonder Fruit

One of my favourite tropical fruits is papaya. I think most us know the health benefits of papaya. Papaya is packed with all the vital nutrients -vitamins and minerals. Papaya actually contains more beta carotene than carrot and more vitamin C than kiwis! I actually prefer unripen/green papayas especially when they are made into papaya salad. Papaya actually loses some of the enzymes as it ripens, so it's actually good to have unripe papaya. I also found out that the papaya enzymes called Papain are mainly concentrated in the half green fruit, the ripe seeds as well as in the leaves of the plants..So far, I have never tried the leaves yet. Selalu org tua2 makan buat ulam.

One of my favourite food made from green papaya is Som Tam. Som Tam is kicking tasty, tangy, spicy and peanuty papaya salad. Som Tam which a very popular Thai dish, is made from simple ingredients which includes shredded green papaya, tomato, dried prawns, roasted peanuts, chilies, garlic, lime juice and sugar. Once in a while, when my taste buds cry for help, especially for sweetness, sourness, and spiciness at the same time, Som Tam is what comes to my mind!

Som Tam which I bought at a stall in Rantau Panjang near Thai border...Enak banget!..

Terengganu Papaya Salad

Terengganu papaya salad is one of Terengganu traditional dishes. Anyone have tried it before? Terengganu papaya salad is actually something new to me. When I first tasted it, I did not really like the taste. Rasa pelek je because the gravy is made from fish. I have never seen it outside Terengganu and not even in the neighbouring states ( Kelantan or Pahang). The sauce of the papaya salad is actually made from sardines (grilled and shredded), palm sugar, shrimp paste, chili paste, vinegar/tamarind. The papaya salad is supposed to be eaten with fried fish crackers (keropok kering). Now, after 3 years in Terengganu, I'm begining to like the papaya salad.

Next- it is the only thing that I can prepare on my own - papaya pickles! I actually made the papaya pickles last week. It's quite expensive if you want to buy the ready made papaya pickles. 100 gm dah beringgit2. So, it's better to prepare it on your own and it's free from food preservatives or food coloring . I actually jolok betik tu kat belakang rumah my mother in law! To make papaya pickles you actually need to look for unripen papaya which is firm and the flesh is white to light orange in color. Yang I buat tu dah termerah sikit. I just put some vinegar, sugar and salt. Usually, I would keep it in the fridge for a day and have it the next day. Skali hadap je.

Well friends, eat lots of papaya. A papaya a day keeps the doctor away! It's also good for your skin..


Have a beautiful Sunday everyone! Thanks for dropping by..