Caribbean Okra Papaya Curry is a delicious vegan dish with a spoonful of homemade Caribbean curry. Fruity and fresh served on rice or quinoa. I decided to make this okra papaya curry for the first time after visiting Cuba (a beautiful country with very very friendly people, by the way). I usually eat papaya alone in a fruit salad or mixed into a smoothie, but there are so many beautiful dishes you can whip up with this versatile fruit.
papaya
Papaya originally comes from Central America. Today it is grown in tropical regions of the world, in the Caribbean and Asia. My first experience of eating ripe papayas was when I ate a vegetable curry of the kind described here in a restaurant in Cuba. Later, when I was visiting friends in Thailand, papaya was used again for cooking. There, however, rather with the green, i.e. unripe papaya and mostly as a vegetable side dish in the form of freshly prepared papaya salad. Green papaya is popular in many Asian cuisines, both in salads and in stews.
I decided to make a Caribbean style curry with it, as flavorful as I remembered. Ripe papayas are sold in most large supermarkets. If you are looking for a green papaya, you will certainly find it in Asian supermarkets. Ripe papayas have yellow-green skin.
I keep a papaya in the fridge so it doesn’t continue to ripen and go bad too quickly. However, you can leave an unripe green papaya on a dry surface for a few days. The skin then turns yellow with orange flesh.
Make your own Caribbean curry. How to do it:
Ingredients you need:
- 2 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
Mix all ingredients together well. Finished. Store in a sealed container.
if you like our Caribbean Okra Papaya Curry, you might also be interested in these dishes:
- African Berbere plantain stew
- Chickpea Zucchini Curry
- Fruity summer salad with mango and avocado
- Spicy beetroot and carrot curry
- vegan cauliflower korma with tofu
- tender miso onions from the oven
Caribbean Okra Papaya Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 400 grams okra
- juice of a lemon
- 1 papaya ripe
- 1 tbsp. native olive oil*
- 1 Onion
- ½ ground coriander*
- 1 tsp Jamaica curry*
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 3-5 tbsp. water
- kosher salt*
- Pepper* from the mill
- 1 small Bunch of coriander
Instructions
- Wash the okra and cut into pieces about 2 cm long. Soak in water for 30 minutes and mix the juice of one lemon into the water.
- In the meantime, peel and finely dice the onion.
- Peel the papaya with the vegetable peeler. Halve and scrape out the seeds with a tablespoon. Cut the flesh into 1×1 cm cubes.
- Drain the okra and drain well in a colander.
- Place a deep skillet (which you also have a lid for) over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and onion. Fry for about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Now add the ground coriander and the curry powder and let it develop its flavors for a moment. Add papaya and bring to a boil. Slightly crush a few pieces of papaya.
- Next, add the drained okra, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and the water. Bring everything to a boil and cover and simmer gently for about 5 to 6 minutes until the okra pods are tender.
- Season with salt and pepper. If necessary, add a little more water.
- Serve with white rice, cilantro and fresh lettuce.
Nutrition
Pin this Caribbean vegan okra papaya curry recipe on Pinterest to cook later
