Supo Esi (Supo esi)
Overview
Supo esi is a sweet Samoan papaya soup, somewhere between a soup and a pudding. Ripe papaya is cut into cubes and simmered with water until soft, then mashed or left in small pieces. Small tapioca pearls or a little starch thicken it, a spoonful of sugar adds sweetness if the fruit needs it, and a fresh lemon or citrus leaf is sometimes added for fragrance. Thick coconut cream is stirred through at the end or poured on top, giving it a rich, silky finish. It is eaten warm or chilled, often for breakfast or as a light dessert.
History
Papaya grows easily across Samoa and the other islands of Polynesia, and sweet fruit soups called supo are an everyday part of Samoan cooking. Supo esi is often made for Sunday family meals after church, alongside dishes from the umu earth oven, and it is a familiar comfort food for Samoan communities in New Zealand, Australia and the United States.
Main ingredients
Ripe papaya, coconut cream, tapioca, sugar, lemon leaf, water. The soup is built on water and coconut cream and is usually served hot. Diet: vegan; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Coconut soups · More soups from Samoa
Recipe
Method
- 110 min
Simmer the papaya in the water with the leaf for 10 minutes until soft.
- 210 min
Mash lightly, add the tapioca and sugar and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes until the pearls are clear.
- 3
Remove the leaf and stir in most of the coconut cream.
- 4
Serve warm or chilled with the rest of the coconut cream on top.
- ✓
Serve. About 30 min from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
