Recipe: Adapted from https://theculturedfoodie.com/thai-inspired-lacto-fermented-green-papaya/
Thai-style
- 1 unripe papaya (0.5 kg)
- Salt
- 1 green or red chili pepper
- 1 kaffir lime leaf
Wash and peel the papaya and remove seeds. Grate or cut into matchsticks. Add 5 g of salt and massage in to release liquids. Slice the chili pepper and stir in. Add the lime leaf. Pack into a fermentation container, add weights so all the vegetables are under the brine. Leave to ferment at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.
Made: 2023-07-06
2023-07-13: Left at room temperature for 1 week. It got quite dry, I think the brine got absorbed a bit too much into the cloth that was covering that jar and I didn’t top it up enough. Nevertheless, no fungi or yeast growth - maybe because of the big lime leaf that covered the top.
2023-07-16: Tasted after 1 week at RT and a few days in the fridge: Very gently acidity, could use a bit more. It’s a bit dry - top up with more brine and leave outside for a few more days? There is some fruitiness from the papaya, a but not overwhelming, but quite unexpected from a sour ferment. Not sure yet if I like it. The chili pieces (if you get one) give it a nice warmth. Texture is quite close to sauerkraut, but a bit less crunchy bite to it. I think it would be very nice as part of a taco filling.