Spicy Ripe Papaya Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)
This spicy papaya salad bursts with an addictive marriage of flavors and textures. Your first bite will register sweet soft almost floral papaya with a sparkling of mint and cilantro. on the tongue. Then the burst of fresh lemon juice, the sharpness of red onion, the crunch of red pepper, the heat of hot peppers.
Take advantage of the fresh fruit of the season. If you don’t have papayas then substitute mangos or ripe melon. This salad tastes wonderful the day after and can even be used as a salsa. Versatile and scrumptious!
I collect people. On my virtual mantle I arrange my collection of adorable old ladies canes held at a jaunty angles as they sip their coffee, walkers paused as they pat their iron grey hair and gaze at the long road home.
“They don’t have a decent piece of fruit at the supermarket. The apples are mealy, the oranges are dry… I don’t know what’s going on with the papayas!”
-Kramer, Seinfeld
On the piano rest all the grumpy old men I long to bring home and take care of. See Frank in the stained shirt over there on the bench feeding the squirrels starbursts? Then there is Robert who toddles over to the thermometer affixed outside the window and announces the temperature every hour after first giving everyone a recap of the last weeks weather.
- “You gotta stand behind your fruit.”
-Kramer, Seinfeld
Yes I collect all sorts of people. Just the other day I added a a troll-boy to my collection of magical creatures. My Aunt and I had a special thing for trolls. Trolls are humans that have a devil may care gleam in their eyes, are more charming then the law allows and weave charismatic magic in the dusty mundane world we inhabit.
- “This peach is sub-par.”
- -Kramer, Seinfeld
I was trying to pick the perfect melon from a pyramidal pile at the souk. I pressed the blossom ends gently to feel how tender they were, smelled them and made my choice. The dusky skinned teenaged fruit seller gazed at my antics. He smiled indulgently, took the melon from me and made a show of smelling it as I did. He turned to me, gave me a thumbs up and a nod. “yes you chose well, you sure know your melons, good job” his body language said.
As he turned to weigh my melon I noticed him bend back to the pile like a modern dancer, his dark curls swaying and switch my chosen fruit for another. I paid for the melon he chose. He gave me the thumbs up, a lopsided grin and handed me the melon.
The melon he gave me was succulent and perfectly ripe. He had saved my through charisma and sleight of hand from a subpar fruit.
He earned his place on my desk, with the mermaids and leprechauns, selkies and vampires. pixies and gnomes I have met and collected in my days.
- “If I give you money, would you go out and get me some fruit?”
- -Kramer, Seinfeld
- This salad would be wonderful topped with my Miso Glazed Eggplant Scallops
- or
- rolled up in my Korean Tacos.
- Check out my Aquafaba page! For tips, tricks and to see all of my Aquafabulous recipes.
Take advantage of the fresh fruit of the season. If you don't have substitute mangos or ripe melon. Spicy, sweet, sour, and crunchy with loads of fresh herbs. This salad tastes wonderful; the day after and can even. e used as a salsa.
- 1 large ripe papaya, diced to 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup chopped mint
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 red pepper, diced 1/2 inch
- 1/2 red onion, slivered
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp minced hot pepper, optional
- 1 tsp brown sugar, maple syrup or sweetener of your choice.
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger root.
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Place all the ingredients in a big bowl and give a good tossing. Allow the spicy ripe papaya salad to sit for ten minutes for flavors to meld.
Sitting down to eat this for lunch, so freaking good! I did 1/2 lemon 1/2 lime juice because I love lime. Thanks for the super fresh recipe!
Wonderful! I love that you added lime juice. We are in Israel right now and it is hard to find limes here so we picked some lemons instead. Stoked that you loved your salad.
What a delightful story of the fruit-seller switching your sub-par fruit for a better one! If only we were surrounded by legions of guardians like him, saving us from bad choices, but letting us keep our self-respect.
Agreed. Instead of a Guardian Angel I want a Guardian fruit seller.
P.S. You pick such good quotations and from such a variety of sources – high literature to lowly situation comedy tv.
Oh thank you! I am always writing down interesting sentences from books and people on the street. Always jotting in my notebook. xox