Green Pawpaw Chutney- Satini Papay

In the Seychelles' official language, Creole, the name for papaya is pau-pau. As a tropical island, there is never a shortage of papayas; their tangy orange color is noticeable in every lush nook and is an essential part of every garden, alongside coconut trees. Chutneys of all kinds are at the heart of Seychelles history, which dates back to the slaves brought ashore from Africa years ago. They would consume whatever nature provided.

Chutneys are just grated vegetables that have been stir-fried with spices. Thus, a stir-fry of any tropical vegetable or raw fruit, such as golden apple, long gourd, eggplant, and my personal favorite, papaya. Authentic marinated grilled fish, rice, piment (crushed peppers), and pau-pau chutney are traditional Seychellois dishes. And, of course, some fresh passion fruit juice to go with it. Pau-pau chutney, adorned with beautiful red tomato peels and frangipani blossoms, would undoubtedly appear on any Creole buffet. It is a simple, healthy, and delicious cuisine that should not be overlooked!

Ingredients

• 2 medium size green pawpaw, 1 large onion small and sliced, 2 lemons juiced, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 fresh chillies crushed -optional, 500 ml warm water, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp cracked black pepper, salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Peel the green pawpaw under running water. A potato peeler is ideal. Please note that the latex from the pawpaw can cause itchy skin. If you have delicate skin, please use a pair of gloves.
• Cut peeled pawpaw length-wise into four equal wedges and remove all seeds.
• Finely grate the peeled pawpaw.
• Salt the water and soak the grated pawpaw.
• Macerate the pawpaw in the water for about five minutes and let rest
• Remove the pawpaw from the water and place a handful at a time in a muslin cloth. Wring hard to remove as much moisture from the pawpaw as possible. This is important as if there is too much moisture left in the pawpaw the resulting chutney will be gooey!! You want your chutney to be fluffy.
• Fluff up the grated pawpaw and mix in the chopped onion and half of the lemon juice and season with some salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a wok and toss the pawpaw for about 5 minutes. Add remaining lemon juice and chilli. Do not add chilli too early as fried chilli can create breathing problems.