This Chinese Green Papaya Soup is easy to make with only three ingredients. It's a light, refreshing, and comforting soup. My mom used to make it in the winter to keep the family warm.
Can't get enough of Chinese soups? Try my Fish Head Soup next!
๐ About Green Papaya Soup
When winter comes, I look forward to eating more Chinese soups, whether they're sweet ones like Mung Bean Soup or hearty ones like Chicken Meatball Soup.
Green papaya soup is one of my favorites. It's light and refreshing, and the papaya takes on an excellent texture after simmering for an hour.
Using green papaya (unripe papaya) is crucial for this recipe. Red papayas will not work; they are too soft and sweet. Green papayas have a milder flavor and a firmer texture that can hold up well in the soup.
๐ฅฉ Blanch The meat
For this recipe, we'll need to blanch the meat to remove scum and dirt. It's a common technique in Chinese cooking.
Simply fill a pot with boiling water and submerge the meat and bones for 1 minute. The water will absorb excess dirt, blood, and coagulated proteins, which give the soup a bad color and taste. Then, drain the water.
๐ง Ingredients
There are only three ingredients, but it's really all you need. If you want to add extra ingredients, I suggest trying the original recipe without any changes first to see if they're really necessary.
- Green papaya: Look for ones with entirely green skin. If you notice any hints of yellow, it means the papaya is beginning to ripen.
- Pork ribs (or pork neck bones): Today, I'm using pork button ribs since they were on sale. But, you can use any type of pork rib or neck bones for this recipe.
- Salt: Just a small amount to enhance the flavors. We add it at the beginning so it properly seasons the ingredients throughout the cooking process. If you wait until the end, the salt only affects the broth, not the ribs or papaya.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: Blanch pork ribs in a large soup pot of boiling water to remove scum. Drain the water.
STEP 2: Refill the soup pot with 10 cups of water, add green papaya and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, partially cover with a lid, and simmer for about 2 hours.
STEP 3: Taste and season with extra salt if needed. At this point, the soup is ready to serve!
My favorite way to eat this is with some chili oil (and crisps!) for a little heat and texture. My favorite brand is Lao Gan Ma.
You can store the soup in the fridge for up to five days. Before storing it, make sure you let it cool to room temperature. I usually speed up the cooling by submerging it in a sink of cold water.
๐ Recipe
Chinese-style Green Papaya Soup
Ingredients
Instructions
- Blanch pork ribs in a large soup pot of boiling water to remove scum. Drain the water.
- Refill the soup pot with 10 cups of water, add green papaya and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, partially cover with a lid, and simmer for about 2 hours.
- Taste and season with extra salt if needed. Serve hot.
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