When you think of cooking with fruit, your mind probably springs to desserts, smoothies and sweet snacks. But the subtle sweetness and buttery melt-in-your-mouth texture of Ruby Rise Red Papaya also makes the perfect addition to many savoury dishes. The unique, understated sweetness of the fruit is known in the culinary world to pair perfectly with chicken, salad, seafood as well as a wide variety of other savoury recipes. The tropical sweetness of Ruby Rise Red Papaya can create the perfect balance for salty, spicy or sour flavour notes in your main dish. The soft texture makes it ideal for blending into soups or dips and provides contrast with crunchy or chewy elements in many recipes. Finally, the eye-catching colour of Ruby Rise Red Papaya can transform a dull dish into a bright and exciting meal.
So let’s take a look at some of the most popular ways to ‘Taste The Supergoodness’ by adding red papaya to your meal.
Salad
Salads are probably the most popular way to incorporate papaya into a main dish, as the bright, juicy sweetness lends itself perfectly to creating a fresh and flavourful salad. Not only does Ruby Rise Red Papaya taste delicious in salads, it’s also often used to boost the nutrient content of the meal, injecting lots of vitamins A, B and C, potassium, flavonoids and anti-inflammatory enzymes. Adding papaya to a salad can transform it into a superfood-rich, nutrient powerhouse meal. Some of our favourite recipes for papaya salads are Red Papaya, Feta, Cucumber, Tomato and Rocket Salad or Papaya and Avocado Salad with Grapefruit for a traditional, western flavour profile. Or for Asian-style salads, Papaya Prawn Salad with Nuoc Nam Chan Dressing and Papaya Aioli or Pad Thai Salad with Chicken and Papaya.
Soup
There’s nothing more nourishing in times of sickness and ill health than a hearty bowl of soup and adding papaya to your soup can further enhance its health-giving properties. In fact, soups containing papaya have been traditionally used in many cultures to promote healing after birth, prevent infection and reduce inflammation. What’s more, on top of the health benefits, the smooth texture and sweet flavour of Ruby Rise Red Papaya make it the perfect addition to pumpkin or sweet potato-based soups. Papaya-based soups can either be enjoyed as a main meal or as a warm and nourishing alternative to a side salad for meat-based meals during the colder months. Some of our favourite papaya soup recipes include Thai Pumpkin and Papaya Soup and Sweet Potato and Papaya Soup.
Asian noodle dishes
Stir-fries and other Asian noodle dishes are known for bringing together a diverse range of flavours and textures to create a dish that is both exciting and delicious. Ruby Rise Red Papaya makes a great addition to Asian noodle dishes, offering a unique combination of texture and flavour that can take your Pad Thai or Satay Noodles from stock-standard to next-level. If you’re wondering where to start, we love this Better For You Pad Thai with Red Papaya recipe or this Satay Noodles with Red Papaya recipe.
BBQ
While salads, soups and Asian noodle dishes may seem like the most obvious ways to cook with papaya, if you’re looking to try something that will surprise and delight your dinner guests, we highly recommend whipping out the BBQ. The smoky, char-grilled flavour of the BBQ contrasted with the buttery, refreshing sweetness of papaya creates a surprising flavour explosion that will turn simple BBQ fare into gastronomic delights. Papaya is also nice and easy to grill because the fruit is dense. It cooks similarly to meat and doesn’t disintegrate or crumble on the BBQ. You can cook papaya steaks on the BBQ or add papaya to BBQ favourites like chicken skewers.
From fresh, bright salads bursting with supergoodness to well-balanced char-grilled meat skewers, Ruby Rise Red Papaya can add a unique tropical flavour and a wide range of health benefits to your main dishes. View our full range of recipes here.
