Papaya’s Good Source Of Vitamins, Potassium And Fiber

Papaya. It’s just fun to say. Go ahead, let it roll off your tongue.

With a green, orange, rose or yellow skin wrapping the avocado- or pear-shaped fruit, papayas are fun to look at, too.

But the best part comes when they’re peeled, and you bite into the papaya’s sweet pulp. It’s light and refreshing with a delicate floral or somewhat musky taste.

Prolific just above and below of the Tropic of Cancer, most papayas available in the United States are grown in Hawaii and are mainly a yellow, pear-shaped variety, according to “Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables” by Elizabeth Schneider. Because the papaya’s thin skin doesn’t provide good protection from bruising, the fruit is harvested when it is still green.

Available pretty much year-round, papayas are a rich source of vitamins C and A. Papayas also are high in potassium and are a good source of fiber, while containing only 55 calories a cup.

When buying papayas, gauge ripeness more by feel than by look. Choose fruit that gives slightly to palm pressure. Don’t go for the cosmetically perfect; a spotty look with good coloring usually will have more flavor.

If only slightly green fruit is available, it will ripen quickly at home. Leave underripe papayas in a dark place at room temperature for a few days. Chill a papaya once it is completely ripe, not before. Serve within a day or two, or it loses flavor.

Ripe papaya is great eaten raw. Slightly underripe fruit can be cooked as a vegetable. Before using, peel the papaya, cut it in half and scoop out the seeds.

Try ripe papayas in fruit cups. Pineapple, strawberry, orange, banana, coconut and lime complement the flavor. Halved, papayas can serve as their own dish. Scoop out most of the flesh and use the shell as a serving container for salads or fruit compotes. (If you plan to add papaya to a gelatin mixture, cook it first to destroy an enzyme that prevents gelatin from setting properly.)

Papayas combine well with prosciutto and smoked meats like turkey, chicken or seafood.

The papaya’s shiny, grayish black seeds are usually discarded, but they have a peppery taste and make a delicious salad dressing. For a dressing, combine some of the seeds with your favorite vinaigrette in a blender and process until pureed, or puree papaya and some of its seeds and add ginger, cayenne or fresh hot peppers.

Papaya contains papain, an enzyme used in meat tenderizers, so dressing containing the fruit generally can be used as marinades.

Chicken and Papaya Stir-Fry

From “The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook.”

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger root

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow, orange or green bell pepper, chopped

2-1/2 pounds boned, skinned chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup minced parsley

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup 1-inch papaya cubes

In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and peppers, and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, or just until the peppers and onion are tender. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and set them aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the chicken and all remaining ingredients except the papaya. Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and lightly browned.

Add the vegetables and papaya, and continue to stir-fry for 3 minutes. Serve the mixture over hot white rice.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 280 calories, 45 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams fat (23 percent fat calories), 110 milligrams cholesterol, 515 milligrams sodium.