Attractive dishes from papaya flowers

The culinary culture of the Thai people is very rich and diverse, showing the uniqueness in the selection of ingredients as well as the way of processing. Vegetables, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, tubers, flowers, fruits grown or grown naturally are harvested and thanks to the ingenuity in mixing spices to create delicious, strange, attractive dishes. Some dishes even become good medicines and papaya flowers are such a dish.

There are two types of papaya trees: male and female. Female papaya is the tree that flowers and bears fruit; male papaya does not bear fruit but only has flowers that bloom in clusters all year round, the flowers have 5 white or green-yellow petals, long stems. For a long time, male papaya flowers have been used by the Thai people in many medicinal herbs. Male papaya flowers have the effect of helping to reduce coughs, hoarseness, or sore throats; the leaves and young buds are fried until golden brown, or dried and brewed to drink to effectively support liver detoxification. In addition, people use papaya flowers to prepare delicious and attractive dishes.

Ms. Quàng Thị Biên, Cá village, Chiêng An ward, City, said: There is no standard recipe for mixing herbs and spices in papaya flower salad. The cook can freely create and choose the spices for the salad, as long as they are suitable and the dish has a harmonious flavor.

Papaya flower salad, mixed with banana flowers, cassava leaves, young papaya leaves, wild eggplant (mắc cônh)... After cleaning the ingredients, boil them to reduce the bitterness. Next, chop the ingredients, mix with garlic, ban leaves (astringent leaves), lemongrass, coriander leaves and roasted peanuts. When enjoying, the salad has a slightly bitter taste, mixed with the light sweetness of ban leaves, the aroma of garlic, the rich taste of peanuts, banana flowers, and cassava leaves.

Stir-fried papaya flowers with garlic is simpler to prepare. After picking the flowers, remove the stems, keep the buds and ivory-colored petals. Then boil the flowers for about 10 minutes, then take them out, rinse with cold water, and squeeze out the water. Fry the garlic until fragrant, add the flowers, stir gently, season with a little chili, MSG, and lemongrass. After stir-frying, the papaya flowers are soft, with a rich aroma of garlic and chili; no longer pungent and bitter, but with a nutty flavor. Stir-fried papaya flowers are more delicious when rolled with rosemary leaves.

The Thai people also eat male papaya flowers with other herbs that grow naturally in the forest, around the fields, and in their gardens, such as: Gotu kola (Phac nha hut), ginger leaves, rash leaves, rau bo khai, nhoi leaves, lolot leaves, ginger flowers, mac thonh... dipped in thua o (fermented soybeans). The vegetable is rich, sweet, with a bit of bitterness and astringency, enough to stimulate the taste buds.

Nowadays, papaya flowers have not only become a familiar dish in the daily meals of many families, but restaurants and eateries have also included dishes made from papaya flowers in their menus to introduce to tourists from near and far. The bitter taste of papaya flowers and the sweet taste of vegetables and fruits resembles the love of people and the love of the land, making diners who enjoy it once remember it forever.

Article and photos: Lo Thai

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