Buah Paya Masak Titek
This Nyonya soup is fat-free yet full of flavour. May be a light meal if you like.
Ingredients
- 800 g half-ripe papaya skin should be green with a hint of yellow
- 350 g prawns
- 80 g salted threadfin bones
- 80 g shallots
- 12 g candlenuts (3 pieces)
- 900 ml water
- 1 red chilli
- 40 g dried prawns (¼ cup)
- 1 tbsp white peppercorns
- sugar to taste about ½ tsp
Instructions
- Peel and rinse papaya. Quarter lengthwise. Discard seeds. Trim inner surface. Cut crosswise 1½ cm thick.800 g half-ripe papaya
- Peel prawns, leaving tails on. Devein and rinse. Reserve shells and heads for making stock.350 g prawns
- Rinse threadfin bones twice.80 g salted threadfin bones
- Peel shallots and wash. Chop roughly.80 g shallots
- Rinse candlenuts and red chilli.12 g candlenuts (3 pieces), 1 red chilli
- Bring prawn shells and heads, salted fish bones and water to a boil. Simmer gently, covered, for 5 minutes or so.900 ml water
- While stock is simmering, rinse dried prawns and dry-fry till fragrant.40 g dried prawns (¼ cup)
- Grind or blend dried prawns, shallots, candlenuts, chilli, and white peppercorns finely.1 tbsp white peppercorns
- Remove and discard prawn shells and heads from stock with a slotted spoon. Add ground paste. Continue gentle simmering for 10 minutes. Add papaya and bring back to a boil. Simmer till almost tender, 3-4 minutes depending on how ripe papaya is. Do not overcook or papaya would turn mushy.
- Turn off heat. Let soup sit 10 minutes, covered, to develop flavours.
- Reheat soup till gently simmering. Taste and season with sugar to taste, about ½ tsp. Add prawns and heat till just pink and opaque. Do not overcook.sugar to taste
- Serve soup hot, accompanied by sambal belachan and calamansi lime juice as a dip.