Papaya in Syrup

Ingredients for cooking Papaya

4 pounds of papaya
1 cup of water
� cup of baking soda
6 cinnamon sticks
3 cups of sugar

Procedure for cooking Papaya:

- Make sure the exterior color of the papaya is somewhere between green and
  yellow.  Also, make sure the papaya is not too hard or soft; you can check
  this when you squeeze gently the papaya.
- Wash exterior of papaya with running water.
- Peel papaya using a potato peeler or a knife.
- Cut the papaya into four pieces.  First, cut the papaya lengthwise in half.
  Next, do the same thing again with each one of the two halves already cut.
- Using a spoon, remove the seeds from the four pieces of papaya.
- Take one piece of papaya at a time and cut it lengthwise in slices of
  approximately � - �" thickness.
- In a large bowl, place all the papaya slices and fill the bowl with running
  water until you cover all the slices.
- Add baking soda to the bowl.  Using a large spoon, move the papaya slices
  in the water until the baking soda is dissolved.
- Leave the papaya in the water for 20 minutes.
- Drain the water from the bowl and replace it with running water.
  This cleaning step is performed three times to make sure you remove all
  the baking soda from the papaya before you start cooking it.
- Remove the water from the papaya and place the slices of papaya in a large
  cooking pot (4-5 quarts).
- Add sugar, cinnamon sticks, and 1 cup of water.
- Cover large cooking pot with lid and boil the papaya slices at medium heat
  for 30 minutes. During this time, use a large cooking spoon to turn over
  gently the papaya so it get cooked evenly (Note: Perform this twice).
- Remove lid from cooking pot and let the papaya slices cook until the water
  has evaporated and the liquid mix has turned into syrup (approximately
  30-45 minutes). During this time, use a large cooking spoon to turn over
  gently the papaya so it get cooked evenly (Note: Perform this twice).
  Note: In my stove, I raised the heat one more notch above medium and
  the syrup was ready in 30 minutes. Pay close attention to this step to avoid
  ruining the papaya after all the hard work.  Don't let the syrup caramelize
  or burn.
- Turn off the stove, place lid on cooking pot and let it cool down
  to room temperature.
- Pour papaya mix into a large container and cover with lid, and place it in
  the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 24 hours to let the papaya blend better
  with the syrup.
- The papaya can be served with a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of it to
  give it a nice touch.

Return to Recipes Page