Stir-fried papaya with crispy basil: a Brazilian-style side full of flavour

“Cooked papaya tastes almost exactly like roasted pumpkin (I’d go as far as to say you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in a blind tasting),” says food writer Ixta Belfrage.

“In this context, I’ve fried it with onion, green chilli and curry powder and the result is like a sticky, sweet-roasted pumpkin mash (but made in a fraction of the time it would take to cook pumpkin). It tastes quite similar to a dish called quibebé, a spiced pumpkin or squash mash from north-eastern Brazil.

“You need a ripe papaya for this – it should be soft and fragrant, with a dark orange interior. Serve alongside meat or fish or as part of a veg spread with rice or flatbreads.”

Stir-fried papaya with crispy basil

Serves: 6 as a side

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 17–19 minutes (plus 2½ minutes if doing herbs)

Ingredients:

1 large ripe papaya (1.4kg)

3 tbsp coconut oil

1 brown onion, peeled and finely chopped (110g)

3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

1-2 green chillies, thinly sliced

10g spring onion green ends, thinly sliced into rounds (use the whites in another recipe)

5g fresh basil leaves, plus 10g extra to make crispy basil (optional)

5g fresh coriander leaves

1⅛ tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp medium curry powder, plus extra to serve

3 tbsp olive oil

Flaked sea salt

1 lime, halved

60g extra-thick coconut or regular yoghurt

Method

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1. Halve the papaya lengthways, scoop out the seeds, then scoop out the flesh and roughly chop it.

2. Put the coconut oil, onion, garlic, green chillies, spring onions, 5g of the basil, the coriander and salt into a large sauté pan on a medium heat. Stir-fry until the onion is soft and golden, about 7 minutes.

3. Add the papaya and the curry powder, then increase the heat to medium–high and continue to stir-fry for 10–12 minutes, until the papaya is soft and beginning to catch (this builds flavour). Stir in the olive oil and sprinkle with more curry powder and some flaked sea salt.

4. Squeeze over plenty of lime juice, stir in the yoghurt and serve.

5. Optional: To top with crispy basil leaves, preheat the oven to 220C fan/240C. Gently mix 10g of basil leaves with ½ teaspoon of olive oil so that they are very lightly coated. Spread out on a flat tray and bake for 2½ minutes, or until crisp but still bright green. Serve on top of the stir-fried papaya.

‘FUSÃO’ by Ixta Belfrage (Ebury Press, £28).