Twisted Green Papaya Jam- Papay Tournen– is a dessert made with twisted green papaya strips cooked in sugar flavoured with vanilla, grated orange rind and nutmeg. It was usually served at Seychellois traditional weddings. Now used mainly as a jam and tastes great on gro biskwi or galet mayok.
The Twisted Green Papaya Jam- Papay Tournen– is made from green papaya, which is the unripe papaya, the firm, pale green flesh of which is more or less tasteless but tastes great when combined with sugar and cinnamon. Papaya is also known as pawpaw depending on where you live. For example, in Australia, the red-fleshed sweeter fruit is called papaya, while the yellow-fleshed fruit is called pawpaw. From an Australian industry perspective however, the term papaya covers both fruit.
No traditional wedding will be complete without papay tournen. It was always served as part of the dessert together with maspen, the wedding cake, and mafelisi, another type of local cake. Both cakes will be featured in future posts.
Origin of the name
Papay Tournen derives from the French word ‘tourner’ meaning to turn or to twist, which is exactly what is done to the papaya strips.
It is also known in Seychelles as ‘Konfitir may zambek‘ derived from the French term ‘croc-en-jambe’ or ‘croche-pied’ meaning to trip. It gets this name from the shape of the longer papaya strip, when twisted and turned on itself, resembles two legs crossing over each other when someone trips.
Select the papaya
Green papaya is sold in all markets in Seychelles and if you are overseas, you can get them in most Asian markets and shops. Select a firm one, with no blotchy areas, or soft spots – signs of old age or poor storage. Preferably select oblong papaya so that you can obtain maximum length, allowing you to twist easily as well as folding it on itself to obtain the ‘may zambek’ effect.
Avoid using papaya that is about to ripen (papay zonn) as the strips will break when turning.
Peel the papaya
To prepare the green papaya you must peel it before using it. You can just use a vegetable peeler. Firmly hold the papaya sideways in your nondominant hand and peel with your dominant hand. If the papaya is too big to hold in your hand, cut it in half. Once peeled, place it on a board and cut off the stem end. Then halve the papaya lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out and discard the white seeds. These white seeds eventually turn black during the ripening process.
Cut each half lengthwise into quarters, and then use a knife or a spoon to remove the thin white layer lining the cavity. If the wedges are too wide to handle, cut them in half again.
Green Papaya latex can irritate your skin
A word of advice here! The green papaya produces latex that can irritate the skin. Latex is the white milk-like substance that oozes out of the papaya when you cut it. It comes out mainly from the skin. If you have delicate skin, I strongly suggest that you wear gloves. The latex contains papain which is an enzyme that is used to tenderise tough cuts of meat.
Cutting the fine strips
The next step is to carefully cut thin strips one wedge at a time. The thickness of the strips is usually about 3-4 mm. The length does not really matter. Traditionally, one would use a sharp knife to cut the thin slices.
This is, however, very tedious. I prefer to use a mandolin because apart from being able to adjust the thickness, it gives a consistent thickness. Slice the strips lengthwise to obtain the maximum length. Do not use a potato peeler as your strips will be too thin.
Blanching the strips
The next step is to blanch the papaya strips by immersing them in boiling water for about 7 minutes. Blanching is a technique whereby vegetables are briefly submerged in boiling water and then, once they have reached the desired level of ‘doneness’, plunged into cold water or an ice bath to stop the cooking process. If you are unsure of the ‘doneness’ remove one strip from the boiling water, cool it down under running cold water and twist it. If it does not break, it is done.
The main reason we blanch the papaya is to inactivate all enzymes, bacteria and yeasts that can negatively affect the flavour, texture, nutritional properties, and overall quality of the jam. It also sets the colour and texture of the papaya strips, keeping them from sogging out or turning dull.
Dewatering the strips
Once the strips have been blanched and cooled down, you need to remove as much moisture from the strips as possible. Place the strips in a clean cloth and wring dry to remove the maximum moisture possible. You may take this a step further, if you wish, by lining a tray with a clean cloth and placing the strips one layer high on the cloth. Cover with another cloth and apply hand pressure on the towel.
Turning the Strips
Once you are happy that you have removed as much moisture from the strips as possible you can now start twisting them. They should be flexible enough to be able to be twisted. Line another tray with a kitchen towel and take each strip one at a time. Start by massaging the strip using the thumb and forefinger. This will soften the strip and give it the flexibility to be twisted. Hold one end of the strip in your nondominant hand and start the twisting process with your dominant hand. Twist the whole strip and you may choose to either twist clockwise or anti-clockwise to get the ‘screw’ effect. Twist the strips using a very gentle pulling and squeezing motion. This will further remove any extra moisture from the strip. Some strips will break, keep them. Place the turned strips in the prepared tray.
The ’may zambek’ effect.
Some strips may be long enough to allow you to fold and twist them up like a moulouk. This will resemble the two legs crossing over each other when someone trips.
The Traditional dewatering method
Transfer the turned strips on the lined tray in a single layer and cover with some netting. Place the tray outside in full sun for about two to three hours to air-dry. The idea here is to further eliminate as much humidity found on the surface of the papaya as possible as well as eliminating any micro-organisms that require humidity to survive. Cover the tray with netting to keep away any insects and other possible contaminants.
The modern method
The above process is still being followed by most Seychellois, but it is now being slowly modernised by using the oven. Preheat the oven to about 180°C and then turn it off. Place the trays of blanched turned strips in the oven for about 10 minutes and leave the door ajar about 2-4 cm. Because every oven is different, it is recommended that you constantly check the oven, you do not want to cook your papaya.
What sugar to use?
In the early days of settlement, the only sugar we had on the islands was brown sugar and although we now have a variety of sugar, brown sugar is still very popular, and I have developed a taste for it. I like the warm, toasty, and intense flavour and darker finish of the sugar resulting from some of the naturally occurring molasses that are still present in the sugar. However, I have for this recipe used white sugar allowing for a longer cooking process. The end result is almost the same except that brown sugar gives you a darker caramelised product.
Preparing the Papay Tournen
The recipe for the papay tournen requires the sugar to be caramelised. There are basically two classic methods of caramelising sugar: the wet and the dry methods.
The wet caramelising method
The wet method involves moistening or dissolving the sugar in water and boiling it. The water dissolves the sugar and distributes the sugar to promote even browning. It’s a longer process as it slows down the caramelisation process and makes it more difficult to burn the sugar.
The dry caramelising method
On the other hand, we have, for this recipe, used the dry method whereby there is no water added and the sugar is melted by the heat only. It is a quick process, meaning it can burn quickly if not attended to properly. The best part about this process is that you don’t need anything else but sugar. You add your desired amount of sugar in a saucepan and start to heat it on a medium flame. As you heat the sugar, it tends to release its moisture and starts caramelising.
Please note that brown sugar tends to caramelise quicker than white sugar and can also burn quicker. It also has a tendency to melt unevenly and may clump more easily than white sugar.
Caramelising the sugar
Place the sugar into a large pot set over medium to low heat. Leave the sugar alone until you see it begin to melt. Using a heavy-duty wooden spoon or heat-safe rubber spatula, scrape the sugar from the edge of the pan to the middle. You’re doing this for a couple of reasons — first, you want to keep the melted sugar from browning too fast and burning. Second, you’re moving the unmelted sugar to the hotter spots on the pan to begin melting. You may experience some clumping of unmelted and melted sugar. Don’t worry; keep cooking the sugar and those clumps will melt right out
Finishing the Papay Tournen
Once the sugar has melted and begins to caramelize, gently add papaya strips, and mix well with a wooden spoon. Some of the sugar will solidify after the papaya strips are added, but don’t worry, the sugar will re-melt. Be very careful of the steam that is produced when you place the strips into the sugar.
Lower heat and keep cooking the mixture, stirring constantly for about 15 minutes. Then add the scraped vanilla seeds, orange rind and grated nutmeg. Lower heat further and simmer uncovered for about 90 minutes or until you have a thick syrup. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely and transfer in a sterilised jar. The Twisted Green Papaya Jam- Papay Tournen– can be eaten as is, as was traditionally done at weddings, or used as a jam, a dessert served with coconut cream or mixed in a fruit salad.
Here is the recipe for Twisted Green Papaya Jam- Papay Tournen
Twisted Green Papaya Jam- Papay Tournen– is a dessert made with twisted green papaya strips cooked in sugar flavoured with vanilla, grated orange rind and nutmeg. It was usually served at Seychellois traditional weddings.
- 1 large oblong green papaya, about 1.5 kg
- 750 g white sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla essence or seed of one vanilla pod
- 10 cm dried orange peel- grated or chopped
- 1 tsp grated nutmeg
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Select a firm, oblong papaya with no blotchy areas, or soft spots – signs of old age or poor storage.
-
Wash the papaya and pat dry
-
To prepare the green papaya you must peel it before using it. You can just use a vegetable peeler or you may decide to use a small knife if you prefer.
-
Firmly hold the papaya sideways in your nondominant hand and, with a potato peeler or small knife, peel with your dominant hand. If the papaya is too big to hold in your hand cut in half.
-
Once peeled, place it on a board and cut off the stem end. Then halve the papaya lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out and discard the white seeds. The white seeds eventually turn black during the ripening process.
-
Cut each half lengthwise into quarters, and then use a knife or a spoon to remove the thin white layer lining the cavity. If the wedges are too wide to handle, cut them in half again.
-
Carefully cut thin strips of about 3-4mm thick, one wedge at a time. The length does not really matter.
-
Traditionally, one would use a sharp knife to cut the thin slices. However, I prefer to use a mandolin because it is safer and produces consistent thickness.
-
Place enough water in a medium size pot to cover the strips and bring to the boil.
-
Immerse the strips in boiling water for about 7 minutes. Remove quickly and transfer them in a colander or any perforated container, and place under running cold water until they have cooled down completely. Once they have cooled down completely, allow the water to drain.
-
Transfer the strips on to a clean cloth and wring dry to remove the maximum moisture as possible.
-
If you feel you must further remove more moisture from the strips, line a tray with a clean cloth and place the strips one layer high on the cloth. Cover with another cloth and apply hand pressure on the towel for about 10 minutes.
-
Transfer the turned strips on the lined tray in a single layer and cover with some netting. Place the tray outside in the sun for about two to three hours to air-dry. This is the traditional method. The netting is to keep away any insects and other contaminants.
or
If there is no sun, preheat the oven to about 180°C and then turn it off. Place the blanched strips in the oven for about 10 minutes and leave the door ajar about 2-4 cm. Because every oven is different, it is recommended that you constantly check the oven, you do not want to cook your papaya.
-
Once you are happy that you have removed as much moisture from the strips as possible you can now start twisting them. They should be flexible enough to be able to be twisted.
-
Line another tray with a kitchen towel and take each strip, one at a time.
-
Start by massaging the strip using the thumb and forefinger. This will soften the strip and give it the flexibility to be twisted.
-
Hold one end of the strip in your nondominant hand and start the twisting process with your dominant hand. Twist the whole strip and you may choose to either twist clockwise or anti-clockwise to get the ‘ screw’ effect. Twist the strips using a very gentle pulling and squeezing motion. This will further increase the flexibility and remove any extra moisture from the strip. Some strips will break, keep them.
-
Place the turned strips in the prepared tray.
-
The ’may zambek’ effect.-Some strips may be long enough to allow you to fold and twist them up like a moulouk or mourookoo. This will resemble the two legs crossing over each other when someone trips.
-
Slit the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds, keep.
-
Place the sugar into a large pot over medium heat. Leave the sugar alone until you see it begins to melt.
-
Using a heavy-duty wooden spoon or heat-safe rubber spatula, scrape the sugar from the edge of the pan to the middle. You’re doing this for a couple of reasons: — first, you want to keep the melted sugar from browning too fast and burning. Second, you are moving the unmelted sugar to the hotter spots on the pan to begin melting.
-
You may experience some clumping of unmelted and melted sugar. Don’t worry, keep cooking the sugar over low heat and those clumps will melt right out.
-
Once the sugar begins to caramelize, add papaya strips and gently mix. The sugar will solidify after adding the papaya strips, but don’t worry, the sugar will re-melt. Be very careful of the steam that is produced when you place the strips into the sugar.
-
Keep cooking the mixture over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly until the sugar re-melts.
-
Add the orange peel, scraped vanilla seeds or vanilla essence and grated nutmeg, and stir well.
-
Lower the heat further and simmer uncovered for about 90 minutes or until you have a thick syrup.
-
Remove the jam from the heat and allow it to cool completely and transfer it into a sterilised jar.
Recipe Notes
- Avoid using papaya that is about to ripen (papay zonn) as the strips will break when turning.
- The Twisted Green Papaya Jam- Papay Tournen– can be eaten as is, or as a jam or used as dessert served with coconut cream or mixed in a fruit salad, or, better still, keep some for, until the next time you get invited to, a traditional wedding! You may have to wait for a long time though!
- You may choose to cut the papaya in wedges before peeling, if this is easier for you, then go for it.
- I use white sugar for this recipe, you may choose to use brown sugar.
- Be very careful of the steam that is produced when you place the strips into the sugar.
- The vanilla pod can still be used even if the seeds have been scraped from it. Some cooks will cut it into very fine pieces and add them to the jam
- The papay tournen will keep for a long time at room temperature and even longer in a fridge.
- A word of advice here! The green papaya produces latex that can irritate the skin. Latex is the white milk-like substance that oozes out of the papaya when you cut it. It comes out mainly from the skin. If you have delicate skin, I strongly suggest that you wear gloves. The latex contains papain which is an enzyme that is used to tenderise tough cuts of meat.
Did you make this recipe?
I hope you will enjoy cooking this dish. Please let me know how it turned out for you. If you have a different version of the recipe or have related questions, please leave your comments below.
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