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.