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Aroy Mak Mak

Ripe Papaya

มะละกอสุก

Malakor suk: soft, sweet orange papaya, eaten with a squeeze of lime.

Ripe Papaya

The same papaya that is shredded green for som tam ripens into soft, sweet, orange-fleshed fruit. Ripe papaya is one of the cheapest and most common fruits in Thailand, on every breakfast buffet and fruit cart.

Pronunciationma-la-gor suk
FlavourSweet, soft and musky
SeasonYear-round
EatenFresh, with lime, in fruit plates and shakes

Varieties

  • Khaek Dam: long, with deep orange-red flesh, very sweet; the most popular eating papaya.
  • Holland (Hawaii-type): smaller and rounder, with orange flesh and a milder, sweeter taste.
  • Khaek Nuan: pale yellow flesh, often used green for som tam.

How to eat it

Halve it lengthways, scoop out the black seeds and cut it into wedges or cubes. A squeeze of lime lifts its sweetness and tones down the musky smell. It is also blended into shakes and served in fruit plates.

Choosing and storing

Choose fruit with mostly yellow-orange skin that gives slightly when pressed. Green papayas ripen at room temperature in a few days; once ripe, keep them in the fridge and eat within two to three days.

Ways to eat it

  • With lime: the classic breakfast plate, chilled wedges with a lime half on the side.
  • Shakes: blended with ice, a little syrup and sometimes milk or yoghurt at fruit-shake stalls.
  • Fruit plates: alongside pineapple, watermelon and guava, often with prik kluea for the less sweet fruit.
  • Not for som tam: ripe papaya is too soft and sweet for the salad, which always uses firm green fruit.

Outside Thailand

The small, pear-shaped papayas sold in supermarkets are usually Hawaiian Solo types, close to the Thai Holland papaya. Larger, longer fruit with red-orange flesh, often from Brazil or Mexico, is nearer to Khaek Dam in taste. Both ripen well at room temperature. For som tam, buy green papaya from an Asian grocer instead; an underripe supermarket papaya will not give the same crunch.

Cook’s tip

Ripe papaya contains an enzyme that tenderises meat. Thai cooks sometimes add a little mashed papaya to marinades for tough beef.

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