Don't want to carve a pumpkin for Halloween? How about a papaya? I guess it is due to my dislike for washing dishes that I have always been attracted to recipes which use the ingredient as a serving bowl like wintermelon or pumpkin soup, pineapple rice, watermelon fruit cocktail or orange jelly. Here is another one that I like, dessert soup served in a papaya bowl.
Papaya Dessert Soup
Ingredients:
½ a papaya
15g silver ear fungus
15 Chinese red dates
40g lotus seeds
rock sugar to taste
Soak sliver ear fungus, preferably overnight. Remove the stalk and separate into petals. Bring to boil in a pot of water, then simmer on low heat for around 2 to 3 hours until the fungus is tender. Alternatively, use a slower cooker. Reserve the water used to cook the fungus.
Soak lotus seeds in hot water for 1 hour after which the brown husk will come off easily. I prefer to remove the husk as the soup will not be stained brown by the husk later on. Also make sure there is no green stem inside the lotus seeds as the stem is very bitter. Steam the lotus seeds for 30 minutes till tender.
Clean and remove seeds of the red dates.
Choose a papaya that has just ripen and is still firm. Remove the seeds and make a bowl out of the papaya half by digging out the flesh with a spoon or a melon scooper.
Bring to boil 2 cups of water previously reserved, add the sliver ear fungus, lotus seed and red dates. Continue cooking for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the papaya flesh and rock sugar. Cook until rock sugar dissolves. Serve in the papaya bowl.
The combination of papaya, sliver ear fungus and red dates make this soup especially good for women who want to emm... enhance their two assets. The ingredients are great for improving the complexion too. Even if you don't get the benefits mentioned, the soup still makes a delicious and refreshing dessert.
heheh, ST, considering how those bust-enhancing salons are ripping women off, maybe you could market your dessert to those women instead. Even if it doesn't work for them, there are no harmful side effects!
Lovely presentation of the dessert, as always. :)
Posted by: julia | October 31, 2004 at 12:37 AM
Hey this looks great. :o)
Posted by: Dennis | October 31, 2004 at 03:18 AM
hihi...lonely dessert.....i love papaya...got to try it when i am bck in spore...heehee
Posted by: husky9 | October 31, 2004 at 05:32 PM
Wow! ST, the papaya look so yummy. It's just in the right ripe stage tat I like. Red but not too soft. I asked my mum to bring one for me when my sis come(yeah! she is with me in Japan now), but mum said too difficult to bring, rejected. *sob sob* My saliva dripping now. Envy u ler~
Posted by: fish fish | November 01, 2004 at 10:52 AM
Hi Julia, what a good idea. I should have thought of the beauty salon before I post the recipe here. Hehehe.
Hi Dennis, thanks.
Hi husky,I love papayas too. You can't get papaya in Sydney?
Hi fish fish, thanks. Don't cry lah. When you go home you can have all the papayas you want.
Posted by: ST | November 02, 2004 at 02:18 PM
Yumm..
I found your site on a google search. I am from an asian descent.. my mom is chinese.. It's good.
Posted by: jackie | November 23, 2004 at 07:24 AM
Hi jackie, welcome and thanks. I hope my blog is of some use to u :)
Posted by: ST | November 23, 2004 at 10:42 PM
Very innovative recipe and it looks good in the papaya! :)
Posted by: Cherry | January 11, 2007 at 05:14 PM