How I wish I could wake up tomorrow and realize words like Covid19 and Lockdown were all just a bad dream but of course that's not to be!
I've been really busy in the kitchen trying to keep everyone's spirits up as there's nothing as comforting as sitting around the table and enjoying good food.
One thing Lockdown has taught me is to make something out of almost nothing; where I would normally run to the grocer at the drop of a hat; I now first take a look in the pantry or garden and see what I can find to add to the cooking pots, and there’s been many surprising finds as I’ve been trying all kinds of combos that will from here on be on my menu for sure!
Yes I know I’m blessed to have a garden in the first place and I'm truly thankful for that as so many people are stuck in small apartments while thousands of others are fighting this dreaded virus.
We have giant Papaya trees but have not enjoyed much fruit this season as the monkeys get to them before us.
A good friend and neighbor recently brought me a gift from her kitchen – Green Papaya Curry, and was it delicious!
Hot and spicy, with the cooked papaya almost like squash but just a tad firmer and really yum!
I was also given two green papayas but they simply would not get ripe and guess what I attempted – yes you’re right – Green Papaya Curry!
My version still was not as good as my friend's but it was not too shabby either and the recipe was one Granny Google gave me and is cooked in a pressure cooker - a North Indian Curry from Archana's Kitchen. I took some liberties and added some of my own favourite spices and a little less chili powder.
THE RECIPE
- 1 large Green Papaya peeled & cubed
- Curry Spices - Fennel Seeds, mixed Curry Seeds, Chili , Raw & Roasted Coriander, Turmeric
- 1 Onion diced
- 1 Tomato diced
- 4 Cloves Garlic crushed
- Chunk of fresh Ginger grated
- Curry leaves
- Dhania (Cilantro) would have made it even better but I could not find any in the garden)
I was dying to see what the green Papaya flesh looked like; everything inside was snow white!
Sautee seeds in a little sunflower oil
Add onions & garlic and stir till translucent.
Add tomatoes and spices and cook a little till tomatoes are soft.
Add Papaya, curry leaves & salt to taste.
Close lid, seal and cook on suitable setting - I used the Curry setting on my Instant Pot.
Spicy fragrant Green Papaya Curry cooked in no time, serve with brown Basmati Rice.
I'm sure it will taste even better tomorrow when we have the leftovers as the spices will have had time to mingle.
Spicy hot curries are very good to unblock stuffy noses and clear the sinuses so we will be having more of those as we're heading into flu season' not to mention the horrid virus wrecking havoc around the world!
I simply could not resist sharing my box of fresh produce with you all; I was so chuffed when my 'Veggies on Wheels' man called to say he now has a permit to operate during lockdown and would be dropping off my order! We've really enjoyed having simple steamed veggies the last couple of days and we're more determined than ever to get monkey proofing for our veggie garden, hope to share that with you soon!
This has been my contribution towards 
A massive thank you to everyone who makes this such a fun theme!
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