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Furrundu
Green papaya and cane sugar sweet
Furrundu: Cuiabá sweet of grated green papaya cooked with dark cane sugar, ginger and clove
Cuiabá's grandmothers have a sweet for every fruit, and furrundu is the one that turns an unripe papaya into something special. The green fruit is grated, squeezed and cooked slowly with rapadura (dark unrefined cane sugar), fresh ginger, cloves and cinnamon until it is dark brown, sticky and chewy, with a warm spice that lingers. It is sold in small pots at Cuiabá's Mercado do Porto and at festas de santo in Mato Grosso, eaten by the spoonful with a slice of fresh cheese or on its own. The mistake to avoid is skipping the rinse: green papaya oozes a milky latex that tastes bitter and can irritate the skin, so wear gloves and wash the grated fruit well. Chef's tip: stop cooking when you can drag a spoon across the bottom of the pan and see the base for a second; it firms up a lot as it cools.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb green (unripe) papayapeeled, seeded and coarsely grated
- 14 oz rapadura or panelachopped; or dark muscovado sugar
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 oz fresh gingerpeeled and finely grated
- 1 ¾ oz grated coconut (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Wearing gloves, put the grated 2 ¼ lb green (unripe) papaya in a large bowl of cold water and rub it with your hands. Drain, then repeat twice, until the water stays clear of milky sap. Squeeze dry in a cloth.
Step 2: Melt 14 oz rapadura or panela with 1 ¼ cups water in a wide, heavy pan over a medium heat, stirring, until it is a dark syrup, about 5 minutes.
5 minStep 3: Add the papaya, 1 oz fresh ginger, 6 whole cloves and 1 cinnamon stick and bring to a simmer.
3 minStep 4: Cook over a medium-low heat for 50–60 minutes, stirring every few minutes and more often towards the end, until dark brown, glossy and very thick. Stir in 1 ¾ oz grated coconut for the last 5 minutes if you like.
55 minStep 5: Check it is ready: a spoon dragged across the pan should leave a trail that closes slowly. Remove the cinnamon and cloves.
Step 6: Spoon into sterilised jars or a dish and cool. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks; serve at room temperature with fresh cheese or on its own.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does furrundu take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of whole cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
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