What is fish and papaya soup
If you think you have low milk supply, your doctor or lactation consultant will advise you to increase the number of feeds and allow your baby to breastfeed as long as she needs. In the Chinese community, the pui yuet will most likely be at the stove, brewing up a pot of traditional fish and papaya soup. This recipe has long been believed to help a new mother increase her breastmilk supply.
The soup is popular among the Chinese community, and soups are a big feature during the confinement period. The most basic version of this soup calls for very simple ingredients: fish, young or green papaya, ginger, water and salt. These ingredients are boiled together until the water turns a 'milky' colour.
Recipe for fish and papaya soup
Gillian Koh-Tan shares her experience: "I didn't follow traditional confinement practices strictly, but my mother-in-law came over every day with a fresh batch of fish papaya soup which she said would help boost my breastmilk supply. The soup was tasty and nutritious, and I loved having a bowl of it with each meal. I don't know if it was the soup but I certainly never had supply problems and I was able to breastfeed my baby exclusively for six months."
Gillian's mother-in-law, Madam Tan Li Cheng shares her recipe with us.
Ingredients
• 500 grams of fish bones (preferable to use threadfin - kurau - fish bones)
• 500 grams of green papaya (the flesh of the fruit is white)
• Three litres of water
• Four slices of ginger (this will help cut down any fishy taste or smell)
• Six pips (cloves) of garlic
• Three stalks of spring onion
• Salt to taste
Directions
• Boil the water, then add in the ginger, garlic and spring onion.
• Cut the papaya into small slices. Discard seeds.
• Pour boiling water over the green papaya to remove sap, then drain.
• Combine the fish bones into the boiling pot, followed by the green papaya.
• Turn down the fire, leave to boil for about half an hour to reduce. This should yield about three rice bowls of soup.
