Home-cooked meals are always missed. Especially those that hold memories of loved ones, like our mothers or our partners.
That happens to me often. In fact, I often miss the dishes cooked by my late mother. Even though they were simple, my late mother certainly did her best to ensure that our family had something to eat during times of food scarcity.
My late mother always taught me that it doesn't matter how simple the food we cook. The most important thing is that it's nutritious and filling for the family.
This time, we're talking about young papaya, often called green papaya. This is because young papaya is still green. Perhaps in Thailand, green papaya is more popular in salads.
Meanwhile, in my area, I'm familiar with young papaya for stir-fries. So, we often find young papaya sliced into distinctive shapes sold in various traditional markets.
This time, my regular greengrocer passed by my house with several packages of young papaya. So without further ado, I immediately bought the sliced young papaya.
I bought 300 grams of sliced young papaya. Then I thought about making a sour and spicy dish.
I also had edamame (Japanese soybeans) and dried tofu. Oh, great, so I could combine them all.
The young papaya I bought was already thinly sliced, so it wasn't a hassle during the cooking process. So, I just needed to sauté the young papaya with the other ingredients.
Meanwhile, for the sour and spicy seasoning, I used a combination of chili and tamarind. But you can also use lemon juice for the sourness, just adjust the level of acidity to your liking.
This sour and spicy combination is perfect, especially as a summer dish; it's truly refreshing. Let's make this dish!
THE INGREDIENTS
- 300 grams of young papaya
- 100 grams of dried tofu
- 150 grams of edamame, remove the pods
- 25 grams of tamarind
- 5 cloves of shallots
- 5 cloves of garlic
- Chilies, according to your taste
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
- 250 ml of water
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Let's prepare the ingredients! I boiled the water, then I made a tamarind solution.
Pour the tamarind into the tamarind with 250 ml of water. Let it sit until it forms a nice tamarind solution. The flesh will separate from the seeds.
Oh, then, I moved on to the edamame. I really enjoyed removing the edamame seeds from the pods. It was so satisfying, hehe.
Then, I chopped the seasoning ingredients. I chopped the shallots, garlic, and chilies.
Then, I cut the dried tofu into smaller pieces. But you can also cook it directly without chopping it.
Once that was done, I heated some vegetable oil in a cooking pot. I sautéed the garlic and shallots first. After that, I added the chilies. Stir-fry them for about a minute.
Then, add the sliced young papaya. Stir-fry well and sauté for about a minute.
Then, add the dried tofu, edamame, and the tamarind water you made earlier. Be careful not to add any tamarind seeds. Also, don't forget to add salt and sugar.
Stir-fry them thoroughly and cook them for about 5 to 7 minutes, depending on your desired texture. But don't overcook it, because the young papaya will become mushy. And that's not good to eat, as it certainly diminishes its flavor.
SERVING
I served the young papaya with rice. Or, you can eat it without rice.
Oh, almost forget! I also made pan seared tempeh for extra protein. Pan seared tempeh has smokey sensation. Just with little oil and I love it!
The combination of sour and spicy is addictive. Honestly, it reminds me of my late mother's face. So, I imagine her while eating.
What simple home-cooked meal reminds you of your parents? 😊🌸
Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari
Anggrek Lestari is an Indonesian fiction writer who has published two major books. Now She is a full-time content creator. She has a goal to share life, poem, and food content that makes others happy and can get inspiration.
Contact Person: authoranggreklestari@gmail.com
Discord: anggreklestari#3009