Cutting Ripe Papaya: Less Pain

Since I was 10 years old, my main duty is to help in the kitchen whenever there was someone is cooking and it is a must if my aunt is in there. I think that is how, EE, her daughter learn to cook, she is way better than me and able to cook for a party up to 30 people. That is a lot of work!

I hated it whenever my aunt bought a ripe papaya from the market because that means it is going to be my job to cut them and it’s going to be my uncle.. to eat them.. haha Thinking about a girl with small hands holding a big papaya and trying to cut it when the ripe papaya is so slippery!!! Anyway, I managed to survived.. (and my uncle has to eat salty papaya in the papaya juice)

I have improved to be a papaya cutting expert.     Here is how I cut a ripe papaya, less pain, less messy and less salty as you barely touch the papaya with your salty hands.

1. Set up your cutting area, by the sink is the best. There you should have your cutting board and a knife. The reason you need to be close to the sink is that you can wash your hands whenever you need and you won’t splash the papaya juice all over the kitchen. I used to cut the papaya on the newspaper. I think it still makes a mess.

Some Thai people prefer taking the seed out with chopstick on this step. I used to do it but there’s no need. To pull the seeds out right now will cause bruise as you have to squeeze to hold a papaya in your hand.

2. Then cut the skin out from a side. Lay the papaya on the cutting board, see? you barely touch it. Follow the photos to see how.. when you are done at this step, rinse the papaya well with clean water as there is white milk come out from its skin. This milk could cause your skin irritation on the lips.

Last step!

Enjoy your real sweet papaya!

Merry Christmas to everyone! and thank you for visitting my blog!

(^_^) Joy~

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Though I’m not posting at the this blog very much I am available to answer your questions about Thai food cooking – if you have any. I do my best – some things I don’t have experience with – but, usually I can help if it’s a Thai food cooking issue.

If you’re looking for Thai food ingredients – I can’t really help. I don’t sell them and I’m not familiar with places online you can buy Thai foods.

Your best bet is to look in the “Chinatown” of your local (big) city and you will find nearly all the Thai food we have here in Thailand… nearly!

Joy

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Straw mushrooms tend to spoil quickly – about one day.

If you boil them with salty water and then freeze them they will keep until next time you want to use them. No, they won’t be as tasty, but they will be unspoiled!

Most Asian markets in the USA, Europe and elsewhere have straw mushrooms in vacuum sealed cans that you can buy.

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Another tip about cooking with fish and to rid the room of the fish smells that might result if you’re using a very stinky fish…

Use lemon or lime juice while preparing the meal. If you don’t want the lemon or lime to flavor the dish very much just use a couple drops of lemon juice to cancel-out the fish smells.

– Joy

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Have someone in the house that doesn’t like “fishy smell”?

When you bake or grill your fish stuff the abdominal cavity with long lemongrass wrapped tightly and tied  (with other lemongrass). Lemongrass has the power to kill the fish smell especially while baking in a closed oven in foil.

Another tip – use a different fish. Trout, catfish, and mullet seem to really have a fishy odor associated with them. “Tilapia” is a light tasting fish that, when properly cleaned and stuffed with lemongrass and dipped in some lemon, garlic, and chili sauce can be almost free of fishy odors.

Grilled Tilapia Fish – with photo of lemongrass stuffing.

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