Kapiolani Community College’s new Culinary Innovation Center, which offers classes and serves as a resource for food-production development, is profiled on tonight’s episode. Host Grant Sato illustrates the concept with a chopped salad incorporating papaya seed dressing, a perfect way to use both the flesh and seeds of off-grade papaya.
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Chopped Salad with Papaya Seed Dressing
>> 1/2 cup small diced jicama (chop suey yam)
>> 1/2 cup small-diced cucumber
>> 1/2 cup small-diced watermelon radish or other radish
>> 1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper
>> 1 ear corn, kernels removed
>> Salt and pepper, to taste
>> 1/2 cup papaya seed dressing (see recipe below)
>> 1 avocado, sliced into half rings, for garnish
>> 6 spinach leaves, for garnish
Place all vegetables in bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add dressing and toss well.
On 3 4-inch plates, arrange avocado rings in a circle, then place a third of the salad mixture in the center and garnish with 2 spinach leaves. Serves 3.
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Papaya Seed Dressing
>> 1 cup papaya pulp (flesh of 1 medium-size papaya, skin and seeds removed)
>> 1 teaspoon mustard powder
>> 1 teaspoon garlic powder
>> 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
>> 1/2 cup papaya seeds (washed seeds from 1 medium ripe papaya)
>> 3/4 cup salad oil
>> Salt and pepper, to taste
Place papaya pulp in food processor and puree about 30 seconds. Add mustard powder, garlic powder and red wine vinegar; puree until smooth.
Add papaya seeds and pulse 5 seconds, then puree while drizzling in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 2 cups.
Nutritional information unavailable.
“What’s Cooking Hawaii?” airs on KFVE at 7 p.m. Wednesdays and repeats at 3 p.m. Saturdays.
