We always seemed to have had Papaya (say paw paw or paw poi in Trinidad and Tobago) trees in our yard as kids growing up on the islands, so this punch (or call it a smoothie) as well as ice cream was always in the fridge. I still recall getting in trouble with my dad for cutting the leaves (with long stems) off the tree as we would make a sort of cave-man flute or whistle with it. In the process of breaking the leaves off, my brother and I would knock the baby Papaya off the tree and the odd time we would even knock off the more mature fruits.. yea, we didn’t care as all we wanted were the stems/leaves.
You’ll Need…
4 cups coconut milk drink replacement
3 cups diced ripe papaya
2 heaping tablespoon honey
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
* You can use granulated sugar to sweeten this drink. Soy, almond or rice milk works great if you cannot get the coconut replacement. Traditionally this papaya drink is made with milk, including evaporated milk and sweetened with sweetened condensed milk. But this time we’re doing it completely dairy free. If you’re doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to go through the entire list of ingredient to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.
Papaya 101 – How to Shop For, Slice, Peel, Seed and Tell When A Papaya Is Ripe… Watch This Video [Click]!
Basically all you have to do is peel, seed and cube the ripe papaya, then add all the ingredients to your blender. Pulse, then hit the puree or high setting for a minute of so and you’re done.
If you choose to add ice to the blender or in the glass you’re serving it in, you may need to add a bit more honey to compensate for the extra liquid when the ice melts. I personally like chilling the coconut milk and the cubed papaya. This way I don’t water-down the punch or smoothie! If you have Popsicle molds or you can even use your ice trays, simply fill them with this delicious punch, freeze. Makes for a brilliant treat for kids on a hot summer’s day.
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