Life is always full of mysteries. Every day we learn new things. From various posts on Hive, for example. Also, from the legacy of our previous parents' knowledge.
Especially about plants. There are many things that we don't know are edible or not. But by sharing experiences, we begin to exchange information with each other.
Today I've been through a lot of things that are quite painful but I consider it a test from God so that I can level up to be even better. My damaged house is 95 percent complete. My husband and I just need to clean up the remaining renovations and wait for the smell of paint to completely disappear from the room. I have also recovered from the illness that attacked me a few days ago, about 3 days. I am determined to stay strong, and I don't want to bother my husband, I don't want to bother my mother-in-law. I want to make the people around me happy.
So, I'm glad this time I can explore more ingredients that I can cook around me. From the need to meet daily food, we look around. Cooking edible plants. But often we still need a lot of information about it. We are grateful if we are given a lot of insight from our parents, especially about edible plants around us.
So, this time I will share about the recipe that I got from my late mom. Called "Stir-fried Papaya Flowers."
Male Papaya Flower
The unique thing about my cooking this time is using male papaya flowers. Why? It's not just about papaya flowers. This recipe uses male papaya flowers.
Does the gender of the flower really matter? So true. The gender of male flowers in papaya has an effect on the flower stock itself. Of course, we wouldn't have the heart to cook the female papaya flowers because they will turn into sweet and delicious papaya fruit later on.
In special papaya fruiting plantations, farmers will cut down the male papaya trees, even long before the trees flower. Papaya farmers can already differentiate the gender of the papaya from the shape of their leaves.
Meanwhile for home products, we take advantage of the weakness of male papaya trees that cannot produce fruit. So, we cooked male papaya flowers. We can easily find male papaya flowers in local markets at low prices.
Reducing the Bitter Taste of Male Papaya Flowers
The taste of papaya flowers is similar to that of bitter melon. However, it won't be too bitter if we are right in cultivating them.
Just like processing bitter melon, we also have to process papaya flowers before cooking with seasoning and other ingredients. Was salt, also with guava leaves.
First of all, we have to get rid of the hard stems on papaya flowers. The hard stem of the flower will give a strong bitter taste. So try to get rid of them.
Then, add a few tablespoons of papaya flowers. Squeeze them until the salt is absorbed into the papaya flower.
Wait about 15 minutes, then wash thoroughly again before cooking at a later stage.
Apart from salt, I also use guava leaves. I used five guava leaves. I follow the odd number of leaves from a recipe passed down from my late mom. It's like an important ritual to make this recipe work.
I went to the garden behind the house to pick up guava leaves. Oh, the beautiful guava leaves. I only take five guava leaves according to my needs. I chose old leaves. It can be seen from the darker color of guava leaves. Avoid light green.
Then, boil again boiled Papaya Flowers with guava leaves and some spoon of salt for about 15 minutes. Then drain.
Mixed With Tempeh
The portion of papaya flowers will be small when cooked just like other flowers. So, we need ingredients to cook with the papaya flowers. Here, I use Tempeh. You can use tofu as well, or lentils.
I use about 250 grams of Tempeh for 250 grams of Papaya Flowers. After being cut into pieces, deep fry Tempeh for crispy texture.
SEASONING
- A lemongrass stalk, cut into 2 parts. flattened
- Enough chili, or red bell pepper.
- 3 cloves of small red onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- a thumb-size of ginger, slices
- enough cooking oil
- 1/2 of teaspoon salt
MAKING AROMATIC OIL
Aromatic Oil is the perfect seasoning for Papaya Flowers! We only need stir-fry all seasoning in hot oil.
After the aroma comes out of the seasoning, then you can add slices of chili or red bell pepper as optional.
Adding Boiled Papaya Flowers
After making an aromatic Oil, it's time to add papaya flowers. Keep stirring for about 5 minutes.
The final step is to add fried Tempeh. Also, don't forget to add salt and do a taste correction before removing them. Add a little sugar if you can't find a balanced Umami taste.
Stir-fried Papaya Flowers in this cooking way has a less bitter taste. Even my husband and my mother in law love the taste. The main key is not to forget to crush the papaya flowers with salt, and boil them with guava leaves.
Hopefully, this recipe will give you new knowledge that Papaya Flowers can be eaten as a delicious side dish! Never be afraid of trying something new and be creative! You never know if you never try something what you need to try it.
Stay be grateful because you will always find something beautiful even after difficult situation. ❤️
Thank you for reading my blog and reblog if you want my blog this time worthy of reading by others.
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.
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Discord: anggreklestari#3009