Papaya is a versatile fruit used in sweet and savory dishes worldwide. It is rich in essential vitamins, cancer-fighting lycopene, and inflammation-reducing enzymes. Papaya soup can be made with seafood, pork, or as a sweet fruit salad.
Papaya is revered around the world as a sweet and versatile fruit. Many recipes use this fruit in its natural state, highlighting its sweetness in a cold, sweet soup where it shares the bowl with berries, citrus fruits, and fresh herbs. Elsewhere, such as in Asia, chunks of this fruit can add a bold orange flash of color alongside pork or seafood in a savory papaya soup.
According to the World’s Healthiest Foods website, it would be wise to include papaya in your diet, and not just because explorer Christopher Columbus reportedly called it the “fruit of angels.” The fruit has an overabundance of essential vitamins and a sumptuous taste. Papaya also contains cancer-fighting lycopene and inflammation-reducing enzymes called papain, which are used by doctors to combat pain and allergy symptoms.
Salted papaya soup can be prepared in a variety of ways. A Chinese papaya soup recipe on The Chinese Soup Lady’s website has chunks of papaya simmering in a fish broth that’s started by searing a hot pan used to grill white fish and scallops. Called mù gua yú tang, the fish is then placed in a bag which is boiled for an hour together with the papaya and other ingredients such as ginger, dried dates, oil and salt. The mesh bag is important for keeping seafood intact while boiling in broth.
A Vietnamese papaya soup adds chunks of pork instead of seafood. However, the flavor of the seafood is maintained by boiling it all in a broth made from fish sauce called nuoc mam. According to food blog Wandering Chopsticks, many Vietnamese believe papaya promotes healthy lactation, so this soup, called canh du du, is often served to nursing women.
A sweet play on papaya soup doesn’t include meat at all, making it basically a wet fruit salad. Shared by Food Network chef Alton Brown, this papaya soup starts by dissolving sugar in water, then adding it to lime and lemon juice. This is then used to wet pieces of papaya, mint and candied ginger. The “soup” is completed with a side dish of berries and citrus peel. To make a cold summer soup even cooler, these ingredients can be blended until quite smooth.
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