A special birthday spread for a special person in our lives, loving prepared by my little sister….. The adjective “little” remains despite the chronological age and she had made this multicuisine lunch for my mother. Jaipuri crispy parathas, malai vegetable curry, raw papaya salad and a nutty shrikand. A befitting lunch for a person who loves pottering in the kitchen unleashing her creativity. Be it Masterchef or Cook with Comali you will see her glued to the television with a book in hand. I cannot forget the days how “Femina” and “Eves weekly” recipes used to dominate our kitchen. An encouraging husband and 3 little girls who were many a times her assistant was all that she needed for her food discovery. A gardening enthusiast, I remember the first batch of sweet potatoes that we harvested in our garden. There were worrying times too….. Weeks of worry as to why our papaya trees did not yield fruits. It was a constant discussion between my parents who later discovered that there were male and female trees and what we had lovingly watered were the males. Immediately the female saplings were planted and the papayas were turned into all possible delicious fare at a time when papaya was not very popular both in our kitchens and the dining table. Koftas, murraba, halwa and not to forget laddus… All were my mother’s signature papaya dishes .
INGREDIENTS
- GRATED PAPAYA – 1 CUP TIGHTLY PACKED
- OIL – 1 TSP
- MUSTARD – ½ TSP
- GREEN CHILIES SLIT – 2
- CURRY LEAVES – FEW
- ASAFOETIDA – 1 PINCH
- TURMERIC POWDER – ¼ TSP
- SUGAR – ¼ TSP
- LEMON JUICE – FEW DROPS
- SALT – TO TASTE
METHOD
- Clean, peel and grate the raw papaya.
- Heat the oil, add the mustard. Once it splutters, add asafotida, green chilli, curry leaves and turmeric powder.
- Saute for 2 minutes.
- Add the raw papaya and required salt.
- Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Switch off the gas. Add sugar and lime juice. Mix well.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve
