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Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Maui- Chicken Papaya Soup

Photo from www.cookinghawaiianstyle.com (mahalos)

Man, growing up Hawaiian style is good, being exposed to so many different kinds of foods from all the diverse peoples and cultures. Coming to Hawaii or Maui for the first time and wondering what you should look for as far as eating? Try going to a local dive that serves up good Chicken Papaya soup. It is rooted in the Filipino culture as well as other island nations such as Thailand and Vietnam and Malaysia. However in Hawaii when we think Chicken and Papaya soup we most refer to the ones rooted from the Philippines. On Maui there are a few restaurants that serve this soup, one is Paradise Market on Wakea Avenue in Kahului just minutes from the airport and minutes from Wailuku, 20 from Kihei and 40 from Lahaina. 

So what is this soup? For one it isn't an appetizer it is a full on meal fit for a king. In the bowl you'll get hints or chunks of fresh smashed ginger root, possibly some watercress, and a fresh soup made from chicken parts, the soups are generally on the cloudy side unlike the French Euro soups, these soups are just skimmed of the froth that develops but enhanced boldly by the chicken meat which is always portioned in a generous fashion, hence this is not an appetizer soup, one may add rice to the bowl and scarf it up quickly. What sets this soup on its own path is the green papayas, not ripe ones but sliced thin green papayas when cooked it transforms into a tender being, and of course every Chicken Papaya aficionado knows the patis (Pah tees ) or Filipino fish sauce needs to be in every soup, the pungent salty and flavorful sauce is common in Filipino cooking as well as Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese cooking too.

Remember to try a bowl of this soup, you may not be used to the smell of the fish sauce, but once you take a slurp of the soup, you will scarf it up. It is also a common sight to be seen in restaurants where people who are hung over from the night before delving into a huge bowl of Chicken Papaya Soup. It's just a great bowl of soup Asian style.

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