One of the best things about blogging about food is that I get to eat all these incredible recipes that I make. Ok..there are some not-so-incredible ones which you don’t get to hear about, but given that most of the stuff I blog about is rather on the healthy side, I also get to gobble up the not-so-incredible ones as well.
Today’s recipe came about as a result of having one leftover papaya from my last week’s easy vegetarian recipe which featured papaya as the main squeeze. Last week, I had saved the seeds from the papaya, and have been sun-drying them all week.
I say I, but I had stealthily delegated this task to Le Hub, who bless him, had done a great job of keeping my papaya seeds dry and safe from bugs, birds and all what not, although I have to add that he was rather pleased to be relieved of the task when I requested the seeds for this recipe. There was a rather loud sigh of relief heard..
If you have been throwing papaya seeds away, then wait for this. Papaya seeds are a superfood and are great for you. They help rid the body of parasites, particularly parasites like worms in the digestive tract.
The seeds contain high levels of Papain, an enzyme which breaks down undigested protein waste in food, parasites and their eggs. So a real bonus for your digestive health.This recipe brings together papaya and ginger ( a marriage made in heaven), and together, these two just bring the tropical flair into your kitchen, and the papaya seeds give the muffins a hint of fire…a little bit like a cross between mustard and peppercorn.. And as these muffins bake, I realise I don’t need to get on a plane to get to the drumbeats of tropical Africa…It’s right here in my afro-fusion kitchen.
- 1 papaya chopped and pureed yielding 300ml of puree
- 250 g flour unbleached all-purpose
- 125 g cane sugar
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1 egg large
- 1 tsp cinnamon ground
- 2 tsp ginger grated
- 1 tsp nutmeg grated
- 2 tsp papaya seeds dried and ground
- 1 vanilla pod
- 1 tsp desiccated coconut for sprinkling
- Pre-heat oven to 180ºC (Fan-assisted) or 200ºC. Chop papaya and use food processor or blender to puree.
- Combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and papaya seeds in a large bowl. Mix well.
- In another bowl, mix eggs, melted butter, vanilla and puréed papaya. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just blended.
- Pour batter into a prepared muffin tins and bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle some desiccated coconut over the muffins and enjoy!
Is this recipe right for you?
Related posts:
Cocoyam (Taro Root) Ice Cream
South African Chakalaka Recipe
Ripe Plantain Pancake
Afro-fusion Food Lover.
Sustainable Food Advocate.
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