Green Papaya and Fish Soup (青木瓜鱼汤 (Qīng mù guā yú tāng))
Overview
Green papaya and fish soup is a Chinese home soup made with unripe papaya and fish, best known as a confinement dish for new mothers. A whole white fish or a fish head is patted dry and seared in a little oil with slices of ginger until golden, then covered with boiling water and kept at a rolling boil, which turns the broth milky white. Chunks of firm, pale green papaya go in next and simmer until soft, with a few jujubes or dried scallops for sweetness. Goji berries are added at the end and the soup is seasoned only with salt. It is light, gently sweet and comforting, and the fish is often strained out in a soup bag.
History
In the confinement month after a birth, Chinese families in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and southern China cook a set of special dishes for the new mother, and green papaya soup is the one traditionally believed to help with breast milk. Doctors note that this effect has not been proven, but the soup remains a favourite of mothers and grandmothers, and many families cook it all year round simply because it is nourishing and good.
Main ingredients
Green papaya, fish, ginger, goji berries, jujubes. The soup is built on milky white fish broth and is usually served hot. Diet: pescatarian; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Fish and seafood soups · More soups from Singapore
Recipe
Method
- 1
Pat the fish dry and sear it with the ginger in the oil until golden on both sides.
- 210 min
Pour in the boiling water and boil hard for 10 minutes until the broth turns milky.
- 325 min
Add the papaya and jujubes and simmer for 25 minutes.
- 4
Add the goji berries and salt for the last few minutes.
- 5
Serve hot.
- ✓
Serve. About 1h 5m from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
