You may remember last month I made a Streusel topped Papaya Yoghurt Cake and you may have remembered that I mentioned you’ll soon have the chance to win a $250 Woolworths voucher. Well folks, the time has come. This is your chance to show me how you would cook up this delicious and very healthy fruit. It has a very similar texture to cooked pumpkin and could be used mashed in a cake, whipped up in a smoothie (yum) or cubed in a salad. So many different options.
Besides being delicious, papaya, the red coloured flesh variety or papaw, the more yellow coloured variety, is very healthy for you. Here’s 10 facts you may not have known. (*)
- Just one average slice (150g) provides more than twice your daily requirement for vitamin C, plus vitamin A (essential for good growth and vision), calcium, iron, carbohydrates and a wealth of protective antioxidant carotenoids.
- Low in sodium and kilojoules, the fruit is also fat free.
- It has a lower glycemic index for longer lasting energy.
- Including red papaya and yellow papaw in your diet can add a valuable source of fibre. Fibre helps keep you regular.
- Contains papain, a natural enzyme that helps with the break down of proteins.
- The soft texture of the fruit and its rich quantity of vitamin C makes red papaya and yellow papaw ideal first fruits for babies.
- Green red papaya or yellow papaw is excellent as a meat tenderiser. Due to its digestive enzyme that breaks down the meat and tenderises it.
- Green papaya or yellow papaw are often eaten as a vegetable in savoury dishes like Asian salads .
- In the West Indies, young red papaya and yellow papaw leaves are also cooked and eaten like spinach.
- If you come across red papaya or yellow papaw leaves (important that they are chemical free) they can be used as a refreshing tea. Chop up three leaves and cook in one litre of water. Simmer until the water is reduced to half, strain and store in the refrigerator. For preventative measures it is used much the same way that the Japanese drink green tea.
(*) Courtesy of the Papaya Australia web site.
All you have to do is link up your recipe via the linky button below or share your creation on my Facebook page (just a photo and the recipe). You don’t need to be a blogger to link up. If you’ve never tried papaya or papaw before, this is your perfect opportunity and you might just win a $250 Woolworths voucher. For more inspiration, you may want to check out my post on 27 ways to use up papaya/pawpaw.
The competition is open from now until 12pm on Friday, 7 June 2013.
The competition is open to Australian residents only.
For full terms and conditions of entry, click here.
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It's also the best dried fruit ever, I love dried pawpaw spears!
Anne, I've got to get into my kitchen and start playing around with papaya…if I can find some in the store!
Would love a chance at wining a $250 voucher, but I don't do papaya. I'm not a fussy eater and if in the rare occasion if it was in a fruit salad given to me I would politely eat it. But I never ever ever buy it because the smell makes my stomach turn.
Great comp Anne. I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with. 🙂
I have only had it in a fruit salad, where I love the flavour and the colour it adds. But I think your idea of adding it to a cake sounds delicious, I am thinking of a carrot cake recipe using papaya instead of the carrot – yummy!
I love papayas, I grew up in South East Asia so we had lots of them back home. They are best eaten fresh, and you're right, they are so healthy and full of vitamins and nutrients.
I've shared my recipe for a tropical delight that features papaya – Sweet sticky rice with calamerised papaya in coconut sauce. I've posted it onto my instagram and the recipe is within the comments in the photo. Let me know if you've problem viewing it and I will email it to you.
Thank you for a great giveaway. Cooking with papayas always bring back bittersweet memories to me.
I better get cooking this weekend.
Now I'm going to be with thoughts of yummy things! Night, night Anne.
xx Marnie
My Papaya recipe entry has been downloaded onto your facebook page along with 2 photos. Thank you
Rachel Kriss-Newell (rm.newell@bigpond.com.au)
Finally got my entry in !! Thanks for hosting this competition Anne…it was fun to have a go and yummy to eat the entry.
xx Marnie