Jicama Slaw
Originally I was going to make Thai-style green papaya salad that has the complex but irresistible typical Thai tastes - sweet, sour, and hot. A recipe of green papaya salad I found online use coconut sugar and fish sauce for sweet, fresh lime juice for sour, and green chili pepper for hot. A big problem I encountered was there was no green papaya at Wegmans. Only ripen papayas with orange fresh were available. Actually I expected the situation. I had Plan B. I researched what could substitute green papaya with in advance. I found some options. One of them especially drew my attention: jicama. I always wondered what the mysterious root-like things at Wegmans are, but haven't have a chance to know them until this time. Jicama, also called Mexican turnip tasted refreshing like pear had a crispy texture like apple, which was like green papaya. The root is apparently full with various vitamins, minerals, fiber and potassium. It's a powerful antioxidant, too! Jicama has become more than just a substitution of green papaya; it was a wonderful discover of a new healthy food for us!
