Recipe 101 : Ginataang Papaya

Ginataang Papaya topped with green Chili

One of the things I love to do is eating cooking. I guess this kind of interest might be rooted because of my father. When my father was still alive, he knew how to cook lot of dishes and through the years of serving meals for his kids, I used to learn his recipes and style. This is the soul of my love to cooking; whenever I cook, I remember him as well.

Anyways, I am a native of Bicol so we used to cook almost any vegetables in coconut milk or in ‘Gata’. This one is called ‘Ginataang Papaya’ mixed with dried fish. Actually, you can substitute sardines, pork or chicken meat, leftover fried fish, or shrimps instead of dried fish. It does really depend upon your choice. This is just very easy and here’s how to do it:

Ingredients (Middle East Version):

1 Green Papaya (medium size) – peeled and cut into serving pieces

Coconut Powder (since it’s uncommon to find fresh coco milk here in the Mideast you may use the powder one) – dissolved in a 300-500ml of warm water until thick

Dried Fish – or any meat substitute

3-4 Cloves of Garlic - minced

1 Onion – cut in pieces

Pepper

Salt

1 tsp Bagoong (Optional)

2-3 Green Chili (Optional)

How to Cook:

1.  In a pan, pour the coconut milk. Add garlic, onion, dried fish, bagoong, and bring to boil.

2.  Put in the papaya.

3.  Season it with pepper and salt. Place in chili. Simmer over medium heat until papaya is slightly soft and the milk thickens.

4.  Serve hot with plain rice and fried fish.

Enjoy your Ginataang Papaya!!!

This recipe is good for 3-4 persons already. Next time, I will post another menu I usually cooked here in Qatar.

Note: if you want a much thicker sauce (milk), dissolve a separate coco powder in 100ml warm water and add this one once the papaya is soft. Then simmer for another few minutes.