Sweet & Spicy Papaya Chutney

I bought some unripe papayas over the weekend hoping it would ripen by the end of the week, but instead they started going bad even before ripening. In order to make sure they didn’t go to waste; I went down a rabbit hole to find out if anything could be prepared with unripe papaya. As it turns out, Kacha Papaya No Sambharo is a Gujarati side dish make with unripe papaya by cooking it with a few basic spices. Upon further exploration, I found some recipes that made a chutney out of it so here’s my take on it! It turned out delicious and my pawpaws didn’t go to waste – it’s a win-win situation!

 

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp melted Ghee (The Prana Plate Grass-fed Cow’s Ghee)

  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds

  • 1 tsp mustard seeds

  • 12 fresh curry leaves

  • ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)

  • 2 green chillies (sliced whole in 3 pieces)

  • 3 cups (approx.) grated papaya/ papino/ pawpaw (not fully ripened)

  • ½ tsp turmeric powder

  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper

  • ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

  • ½ tsp fresh grated ginger

  • 1 tsp fresh grated garlic

  • ½ tsp Himalayan pink salt

  • ½ tsp sea salt

  • 3 tsp jaggery powder

  • 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

  • ¼ tsp black salt (kala namak)

 

Method

  1. Set a pot on medium heat and add the ghee along with fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida and green chillies.

  2. Once the spices start to sizzle and brown slightly in the ghee, add in the grated papaya. Toss to coat the papaya well.

  3. Sprinkle the dry spices on the papaya: turmeric powder, cayenne pepper, Kashmiri red chilli powder. Mix well.

  4. As more of the moisture evaporates while the papaya cooks, add in fresh grated ginger and garlic. Add pink salt and sea salt to taste.

  5. After cooking for about 10min, the papaya should be soft and spices well-combined.

  6. Finish by adding jaggery powder, lime juice and black salt.

  7. Turn off the heat and allow it to cool down to a warm temperature before serving. It can be served as a side dish and tastes delicious with fresh rotis smothered in ghee!