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Papayas en almíbar
Papayas en almíbar: La Serena's little mountain papayas poached in clove-scented syrup
Drive up the Elqui Valley from La Serena and every roadside stall sells jars of these: small, intensely fragrant mountain papayas (papaya chilena) poached until they turn amber and translucent. Families spoon them over vanilla ice cream, eat them with a slice of fresh cheese, or simply serve them chilled after Sunday lunch. Outside Chile, tinned Chilean papayas are easy to find, or use firm, under-ripe ordinary papaya, which holds its shape in the syrup. The usual mistake is boiling the fruit hard: it breaks up and clouds the syrup, so keep it at a lazy simmer. Chef's tip: once the fruit is cooked, lift it out and boil the syrup alone for 5 minutes, so it is thick enough to cling and keeps longer in the jar.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb mountain papayasor firm, slightly under-ripe papaya
- 14 oz sugar
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 3 cloves
- 2 strips lemon peelpared with a peeler, no white pith
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Peel 2 ¼ lb mountain papayas with a sharp knife, cut in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds and their jelly. Cut ordinary papaya into long wedges about 3 cm thick. Mountain papayas weep a sticky sap, so rinse the pieces in cold water and your hands too.
Step 2: Put 14 oz sugar, 3 ¼ cups water, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cloves and 2 strips lemon peel in a wide pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is clear.
5 minStep 3: Slide in the papaya in one layer, turn the heat down so the syrup barely bubbles and poach, turning the pieces once, until they look glassy and amber all the way through and a skewer slips in without resistance.
30 minStep 4: Lift the fruit into clean, hot jars or a bowl. Boil the syrup alone until it has reduced by about a third and coats a spoon.
6 minStep 5: Pour the hot syrup over the papaya, cool, then cover and chill. It is best after a day and keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge. Serve cold, with a little of the syrup.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 76 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does papayas en almíbar take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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