Green papaya is a versatile and delicious fruit that can be prepared in a variety of ways. With the right tools and techniques, you can easily shred for your papaya salads! In this step-by-step guide, I will show you how to cut and shred green papaya quickly and easily!
What is green papaya?
Green papaya is unripened papaya. When papayas are ripe they turn orange and have a sweet taste. Green papayas and ripened, orange papayas differ in taste, texture and appearance. Both are edible, but used for different purposes. Green papaya is a young papaya with a whitish interior. The flesh of a green papaya is crisp and doesn't have a taste at all. When the green papaya is shredded into thin sticks it takes on the physical texture of shredded carrots or green mangos. Since it is a fruit and fibrous, it is able to soak up the surrounding flavors. With each bite it gives a delightful crunch. This makes it perfect for Vietnamese, Thai and Laos papaya salads.
You can get green papayas at your local Asian grocery store and at some Mexican grocery stores, too. When you buy a green papaya be sure to pick one that doesn't have any white milk oozing from it. Unripened green papayas will ooze milk when it's starting to ripen.
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❤️Why this guide works
- Uses simple steps with pictures to show you how to shred papaya.
- Easy to follow.
- Uses tools you may already have in your kitchen.
🥄Equipment and tools
- Mandolin
- Peeler
- Knife
- Spoon
Tools
Tool notes:
- Multifunctional mandolin: I used a multifunctional one shown above, but any mandolin will do if it has the serrated blades that create a shredded pattern. I also have this one. Another option is this slice peeler. Please check your local Asian grocery store first because they may have it for cheaper.
- Knife: Make sure to use a knife with a properly sharpened blade.
- Vegetable skin peeler: You can peel the skin of the papaya with a small knife but I find that using a peeler is helpful and doesn't take off a lot of the flesh.
👩🏫 How to Shred Green Papaya.
Step 1: Start peeling the papaya from narrower top-end towards the bottom using a peeler and moving away from yourself.
Step 2: Repeat step one all around the green papaya.
It should look like this.
Step 3: Using a knife, cut the papaya in half.
Step 4: Using a spoon, scrape the seeds out of the papaya.
Step 5: Scrape both sides until the insides look like that.
Step 6: Rinse the papaya in cold water.
Step 7: If using a mandolin, start by grating the sides. Then, the back and the other side.
Step 8: Continue to grate as long as you feel comfortable. Go at your own pace and watch your fingers.
Step 9: Continue until your papaya looks like this. Repeat with the other half and you're done!
Expert Tips
- If you are prone to cuts and nicks, using a cut resistant glove can help protect you from potential injuries.
🙋♀️Recipes FAQ
It will not taste the same and will have an overly soft texture instead of the firm, crispness that is desirable.
Yes - but I am not familiar with this method and would not recommend it to beginners.
❄️Storage Instructions
- Wrap and store in refigerator for up to 5 days.
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📖How-To-Guide
How to Shred Green Papaya
Equipment
- 1 multifunctional mandoline
- 1 knife
- 1 Spoon
- 1 vegetable peeler
Materials
- 1 whole green papaya
Instructions
- Peel papaya from the top down.
- Rotate papaya and continue to peel around the other sides.
- Cut the papaya in half with a knife.
- Use a spoon to scrape off the seeds.
- Repeat on the other half.
- Hold on to the papaya and grate the side of the papaya against the mandoline.
- Repeat to the back, and other side.
- Repeat on the other half of the papaya.
- When you can see a hole in the papaya and it's down to its skin, you're done.
- You now have shredded green papaya!
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