According to Medical News Today’s website, “the health benefits of consuming papaya include a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, aiding in digestion, improving blood glucose control in people with diabetes, lowering blood pressure, and improving wound healing.”

But many people don’t like the smell of this fruit and therefore avoid it. For them and for others who love experimenting, here is an interesting way to consume papaya: in a spicy coconut gravy. The delicious vegan papaya curry cooked in a spicy coconut gravy goes well with both rice as well as rotis (Indian flatbread).

Papaya Erissery: A delicious vegan curry

Serves 3 – 4

Ingredients

• 1½ cups papaya, thinly sliced to 1” long pieces
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp salt

To grind

• ¼ cup grated coconut
• 4 shallots
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 – 2 green chillies
• ½ tsp cumin seeds

To temper

• 1 tbsp oil, preferably coconut oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 2 whole dried red chillies
• 5 – 6 curry leaves
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp grated coconut

Preparation method

1. Cook the papaya with water, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt in a pan till the  slices are soft and you are able to mash them with a spoon. You can also pressure cook them for one whistle, allowing the steam to be released naturally. Set this aside.
2. Grind the ingredients listed under ‘to grind’ to a semi-smooth paste. Add this to the cooked papaya. Gently heat this mixture for 3 – 4 minutes till the coconut gravy gets cooked. Lightly mash any big pieces of papaya with the back of your stirring spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from flame and set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, heat the oil for tempering. Add mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Once they crackle, add the shallots and fry till golden. Add this tempering to the papaya curry.
4. Return the saucepan to the stove and tip in the coconut. Gently toast the coconut on a medium-low flame till golden brown. Add this to the papaya curry as well. For best results, keep the papaya erissery covered for 30 minutes before serving to develop the flavours. Serve with rice or rotis.

The post Papaya Erissery: A delicious vegan curry appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Serves 3 – 4

Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized, ripe papaya
• 1 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• Honey as a sweetener, if needed
• A few mint leaves, to garnish

Preparation method

1. Cut the papaya into chunks. Blend it along with orange juice and turmeric powder to a thick but drinkable consistency. Use more orange juice or water to thin it if necessary. Taste and sweeten with honey if needed.
2. Pour into tall glasses, garnish with mint leaves and serve chilled.

The post Papaya-orange juice immunity booster appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

These muffins are eggless and do not have any butter. To make them healthier, you can replace all-purpose flour with wholewheat flour as well. They can be eaten as dessert, snack or even a quick breakfast.

Use very ripe papayas and bananas in this recipe for best results. Mash the fruits well with a fork or puree in a blender before using in the recipe.

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup papaya [very ripe, mashed or pureed]
• ¾ cup banana [very ripe, mashed or pureed]
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup coconut flakes; a little extra for topping

Preparation method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375⁰F or 190⁰C. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners. Set aside.
2. Take the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Whisk well to combine. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the mashed papaya, banana, sugar, oil and vanilla extract. Whisk well to combine.
4. Tip in the dry ingredients and mix till just combined. Gently fold in ⅓ cup of coconut flakes.
5. Scoop batter into the prepared cupcake pan. Top each portion with some coconut flakes. Gently tap the pan on the counter-top to level the batter and get rid of any air bubbles.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pan for five minutes. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or upto 3 – 4 days in the fridge.

This recipe was first published in the February 2016 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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