Father’s Day Recipe : Spiced Papaya Compote

To celebrate Father’s Day on 19th June we’ve invited the Mauritian chef, Brinda Bungaroo, on to the Made in Mauritius blog to share one of her favourite recipes, the lovely, tropical sweet, Spiced Papaya Compote…

This is in dedication to my father and my father-in-law and their love for this beautiful tropical fruit. They both used to tell me how wonderful this fruit was and how important it was to eat a least a slice everyday, especially in the morning. It is a powerhouse of health benefits.

Papaya is a very popular fruit in Mauritius and can be found in almost every part on the island. Like many of the fruits we have on the island, Papaya or “Papaye” as we call it in Mauritius originated from South America. Papaya is renowned for its numerous nutrients and the whole papaya tree from the leaves, seeds, skin to the flesh can be used in some way – nothing is wasted since they all have their individual health benefits.

The ripe papaya is a very tasty fruit and comes in rich orange, yellow and pink colours - as you cut through it, it contains dark black seeds.

In Mauritius, we consume papaya both ways - ripe and green, and it is increasingly becoming a favourite ingredient in many local dishes, including dessert. The recipe I’m sharing is known by many Mauritians and it is one dessert that my late father-in-law used to cook on a low, open fire for hours until translucent, soft and exquisitely moreish. I do hope I can make him proud that I have tried to replicate his recipe – with a little twist.

On the sweeter side of things, my recipe combines a blend of aromatic spices to enhance and lift the flavour. It can be served on its own or with the ice cream of your choice and is a refreshing dessert after any meal.

Ingredients Serves 4

1 medium raw papaya (peeled, deseeded & cut into thick strips) 1 lime (juiced & strips of zest) 2 cinnamon sticks ½ vanilla pad (sliced and seeds removed) 2 star anise Few whole cloves 4 tbs granulated sugar (or dark Muscavado sugar) 4 squares of jaggery (raw sugar) 2 cups water

Method

In a large saucepan add the sugar, jaggery, lime juice, lime zest and water bring together until the sugars have dissolved.

Add the papaya, cinnamon stick, vanilla pods including the stick, cloves, cardamom, and star anise and bring to the boil then simmer on medium heat.

Leave to cook slowly, moving the papaya around taking care not to let them break. Cover on low heat for at least 1-2 hours, checking and turning the papaya regularly. Add more water as required.

To check if cooked use a pointed knife to insert into the papaya slice to check if it is perfectly cooked and soft.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool down completely before serving, I prefer to serve these chilled drizzled with the thick syrup. It can be served warm as well.