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Hay etapas en las que se anda deambulando, experimentando y cuestionando la vida, no se consigue entender en que se está, o más complejo aún, en qué se estará. No se escoge el camino al destino, el destino mostrará el camino.
I encountered the gastronomic world at the beginning of this century, when while at university, on a path that intended to carve my destiny, destiny presented me with another path to follow: the wonderful world of flavors that stimulate your palate, of smells that persuade you and textures that the mouth transforms into satisfaction for your soul.
Between courses, cooking, burning, cutting, crossing the gulf, crossing the pond, getting away from family and friends, I took this path to destiny, on which I am heading towards knowing and learning more about this culinary world, always amazed at what cultures have taken from Mother Nature to satisfy and delight palates.
My name is Norman Roqhuett Mata, chef using food to create happiness.
Cuando hablamos de la papaya, se nos viene a la mente esa fruta de forma ovoide, de color naranja, sabor dulce y muy jugosa, de la cual podemos disfrutar tanto en platos de frutas como en batidos, incluso en mermeladas o simplemente comerla así, sin más y dejarse llevar por ese característico aroma floral, digno representante del trópico latinoamericano.
Destaca que posee un alto valor nutricional, estudios la respaldan con que supera a otras frutas comunes como el mango, la piña, la naranja y el banano.
El consumo de la misma cuando aún no está madura, como papaya verde, nos regala amplitud de beneficios para nuestra salud; aporta a nuestro organismo vitaminas A y C, tiene mayor cantidad de potasio que la papaya madura, gran cantidad de antioxidantes, contenido en fibra, protege nuestra vista, es excelente remedio para los períodos menstruales irregulares, mejora la circulación sanguínea y es baja en calorías.
¿Cómo aprovechar sus beneficios? Se puede consumir en diversas recetas exóticas que son deliciosas y son una excelente opción para aquellos que quieren comer algo vegetariano y diferente…. ¡Y si!, vegetariano! porque se puede consumir como si fuera un vegetal, a la vez con un costo económico bastante asequible.
Entre muchas de las recetas que se pueden elaborar estan:
- Picadillo
- Ceviche
- Papaya al curry
- Ensalada de papaya
- Dulce de papaya
- Encurtido picante
De este último, a continuación, les compartiré una receta fácil de hacer y que es un delicioso complemento para muchas de sus comidas.
Encurtido Picante De Papaya Verde
Ingredients:
· 1 Papaya verde (aproximadamente 1 kilo)
· 2 Zanahorias medianas
· 1 Cebolla blanca
· 1 chile dulce
· 1 chile jalapeño o panameño
· 1 ramita de romero
· 1 hoja de laurel
· 2 dientes de ajo
· 200 gr de azúcar morena
· 1 litro de vinagre de manzana o vinagre blanco
· 1 litro de agua
Preparation:
- Le hacemos unos pequeños cortes superficiales a la cáscara de la papaya y dejamos reposar 5 minutos para que bote el líquido blanco.
- Una vez transcurrido ese tiempo, pelamos y quitamos la cáscara y semillas de la papaya, la cual vamos a cortar junto a la zanahoria, la cebolla, el chile dulce en corte tipo “Juliana”, es decir en tiras de 1 cm de grosor por 5 cm de largo aproximadamente. Se puede cortar de otras formas, como cuadritos, según gustos.
- Añadimos el chile picante, en este caso chile panameño, entero sin picar. En el caso del jalapeño, cortado en juliana, y reservando también las semillas.
- Añadimos el ajo finamente picado
- Ponemos a hervir el agua, el vinagre y el azúcar y una vez hervido y disuelto el azúcar, agregaremos el ajo, la hoja de laurel, y la papaya. Cocinamos 5 minutos.
- Agregar el resto de ingredientes e inmediatamente apagar el fuego. Agregamos el romero y tapamos la olla y dejamos reposar hasta que se enfríe. ¡Listo!
¡Buen provecho!
¿Tiene preguntas? Contacte con el chef! roqhuett@gmail.com
Culinary Audacity: Green Papaya
There are stages in which one wanders, experiments and questions life. One cannot understand what one is into, or even more complex, what one will be into in the future. You do not choose the path to the destination, the destination will show the path.
I encountered the gastronomic world at the beginning of this century, when while at university, on a path that intended to carve my destiny, destiny presented me with another path to follow: the wonderful world of flavors that stimulate your palate, of smells that persuade you and textures that the mouth transforms into satisfaction for your soul.
Between courses, cooking, burning, cutting, crossing the gulf, crossing the pond, getting away from family and friends, I took this path to destiny, on which I am heading towards knowing and learning more about this culinary world, always amazed at what cultures have taken from Mother Nature to satisfy and delight palates.
My name is Norman Roqhuett Mata, chef using food to create happiness.
When we talk about papaya, that ovoid-shaped, orange-colored, sweet-tasting and very juicy fruit comes to mind. We can enjoy papaya both in fruit dishes and in smoothies, even in jams or simply eat it as it is, just letting yourself be carried away by that characteristic floral aroma, a worthy representative of the Latin American tropics.
It stands out that it has a high nutritional value, studies support it and it even surpasses other common fruits such as mango, pineapple, orange and banana.
Consuming it when it is not yet ripe, as green papaya, it gives us a wide range of benefits for our health; It provides our body with vitamins A and C, has a greater amount of potassium than ripe papaya, a large amount of antioxidants, fiber content, protects our eyesight, is an excellent remedy for irregular menstrual periods, improves blood circulation and is low in calories.
How to take advantage of its benefits? It can be consumed in various exotic recipes that are delicious and are an excellent option for those who want to eat something vegetarian and different…. And yes, vegetarian! because it can be consumed as if it were a vegetable, at a very affordable cost.
Among many of the recipes that can be made are:
- Hash
- Ceviche
- Curried papaya
- Papaya salad
- Papaya candy
- Spicy pickle
For the latter, below, I will share with you an easy-to-make recipe that is a delicious complement to many of your meals.
Spicy Green Papaya Pickle
Ingredients:
· 1 green papaya (approximately 1 kilo)
· 2 medium carrots
· 1 white onion
· 1 sweet chili
·1 jalapeño or Panamanian chili
· 1 sprig of rosemary
· 1 bay leaf
· 2 cloves of garlic
· 200 g brown sugar
· 1 liter of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
· 1 liter of water
Preparation:
- Make some small superficial cuts in the papaya peel and let it rest for 5 minutes so that the white liquid drains away.
- Once that time has elapsed, peel and remove the seeds from the papaya, which we are going to cut together with the carrot, onion, and sweet chili into julienne strips, that is, strips 1cm thick per approximately 5 cm long. It can be cut in other ways, such as cubes, according to taste.
- We add the spicy chili, in this case Panamanian chili, whole without chopping. In the case of jalapeño, cut into julienne strips, also using the seeds.
- We add the finely chopped garlic.
- Bring the water, vinegar and sugar to a boil and once the sugar is dissolved, add the garlic, bay leaf, and papaya. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and immediately turn off the heat. Add the rosemary and cover the pot and let it rest until it cools down. Ready!
Bon appetit!
Have questions? Ask the chef! roqhuett@gmail.com
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