How to make Sweets Dried Papaya

There are places in this country where fruits about, but there is no way of transporting them to market, thus they become rotten and are wasted away, or are given to hogs.  In places where there is an oversupply of papaya for instance, the fruits can be preserved for as long as 10 months.

How to make Sweets Dried Papaya

Materials:

• Half-ripe papaya, 1 kilo
• Kalamansi juice, 1 tbsp. for every cup of syrup
• Sodium metabisulfite powder, for every 1/4 tsp. = + 1 tsp. lime in 4 cups water
• 1 part sugar for 2 parts water
• 1 kilo sugar for every kilo of papaya

Procedure in making Sweets Dried Papaya:

1. Peel the half-ripe papaya and remove seeds, wash.
2. Slice into pieces for about 12 x 4 cm.
3. Arrange the slice papaya in nylon or sinamay and steam for 5-6 minutes.
4. Soak overnight in lime-metabisulfite solution.
5. Drain.
6. Soak the papaya slices overnight in hot syrup with calamansi.
7. Next day, drain the syrup and add 1½ cups more sugar.
8. Soak again overnight the papaya in hot syrup.
9. Repeat nos. 7, 8 & 9 for three more days.
10. Drain and rinse.
11. Arrange in trays and put in oven at 65°C-70°C for 16-18 hours, or dry in the sun until it becomes tough.
12. Keep in plastic bags, seal.

Source: Food & Nutrition Research Institute