Achards de papaye verte (Green Papaya Pickles)

Achards de papaye verte (Green Papaya Pickles) is a traditional Mahoran (from Mayotte) recipe for a classic quick pickle of papaya in a spiced lemon or bilimbi juice base. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Mahoran version of: Green Papaya Pickles (Achards de papaye verte).

prep time

30 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

50 minutes

Additional Time:

(+2 hours curing)

Makes:

1 jar

Rating:

Tags : Spice Recipes Mayotte Recipes

The bilimbis referred to in this recipe are the fruit of the Averrhoa bilimbi tree, (commonly known as bilimbi, cucumber tree, or tree sorrel). It has been naturalized in the Comoros archipelago from its native range of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The fruit are edible, but extremely sour

Ingredients:

1 green papaya
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
1 onion
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp of hot chilli
1 tbsp of oil
2 lemons or 6 bilimbis

Method:

Peel the papaya then grate finely. Mix with the coarse sea salt and allow to draw out the excess liquid for 10 minutes.

After this time, squeeze the papaya in a cloth then turn out into a sieve and wash three times with lukewarm water. Squeeze once more then set aside.

Squeeze the juice from the lemons (or bilimbis if you have them) into a bowl. Now mix the onion, lemon (or bilimbi) juice with the papaya, cumin, turmeric and chilli powder. Set aside in the refrigerator to cure for at least two hours.

This is a classic accompaniment to Mataba (cassava leaves with coconut milk).