Green Papaya in Sirope - Dulce de Lechosa Verde en Almibar

The "Dulce de Lechosa Verde" is a sweet made with green papaya, papelon (sugar loaf- raw hardened sugar cane pulp), ), sugar and species. The combination of these ingredients made the papaya be firm on the outside and  creamy and soft in the inside, the species give that particular flavor that everybody love.

This sweet is typical from Venezuela and is very common during Christmas time, during this season people make this sweet and can it and give it away as a present to their friends and families. But in general you can eat "dulce de Lechosa" during the papaya season.

The best "dulce de lechosa"  for me is made by my grandmother Blasina, in fact the picture that you see above is my grand mam creation, my family brought it last time they came to visit to me from Venezuela, I was son happy, I eat a lot of this sweet for a week. Where my grandma lives there is a Papaya tree and she made a lot of "dulce de lechosa" to sell, I got my for free... Here is her recipe I hope you try it.

Ingredients:

(15 portions)

3 Kg. green papaya

12 cup of water

1/2 spoon of baking soda

15 cup of water

1-1/2 kg of papelon (you can substituid for brown sugar)- available in mexican food/latin american food stores

1/2 kg of sugar

20 species nails

Method:

1. Peel the green papaya, remove all the seeds and cut the papaya at 1/2 to 1 cm of thickness and 10-12 cm of lenght.
2. (Optional) Put the papaya already cut on a board, take it outside to the sunshine, for 2 to 3 hours, before cooking.
3. In a big pot made of stainless steel place the papaya, already cut, an cover with water, 12 cup of water, and the  baking soda. Cover the pot with a lid. Place it on the stove and bring it to the boil, at high fire, for 2 or 3 minutes.
4. Rinse the papaya, put it on a colander and rinse it con cold water (from the tap) and put it aside.
5. In anothe big pot pour the 15 cups of water, add the papelon (brown sugar) and the sugar. Bring it to boil and cook for 15 minutes. Pass the liquid throught a fabric strainer.
6. Using the same big pot from the item 5.  Pour back the liquid (wash the pot first) and add the papaya that you put aside, and the species. Let it boil, cook uncover  for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the liquid become in a thick sirop, but not very thick (still liquid). The papaya at this point shoul look shiny.
7. Remove from the stove, remove the species nails. Let it get cool in the same pot.
8. When the papaya is cool, pour the papaya sweet in individual glass containers, Let it get cold before put it in the refrigerator.
9. This sweet can be in the refrigerator for about two months.