Got Milk? - Papaya Fish Soup

I don’t know what’s the big deal about breastfeeding. There is so much hype here in the US about breastfeeding and its benefits that I feel soooo guilty everytime I give my baby formula. I struggled for the last eight weeks - with breastfeeding and with the guilt that I think it’s not healthy.
I wanted to breastfeed becos it’s free (and yes, of course not forgetting that antibodies in mom’s milk is good for the baby). Now I decided breastfeeding is not really free - I still had to buy a pump (pump extra to increase milk supply) and bottles and nursing pillow, nursing apron and OMG I bought a glider too! I thought it’s kinda cool to breastfeed in public. I now change my mind. It’s quite hard if I am struggling with a hungry baby. I thought breastfeeding will let me spend precious time with the baby - yes… too much time! I love my baby, but not to the extend that I want him latched on every other hour!

Anyways, I am currently only 70% feeding direct or with expressed breast milk and 30% formula feeding. What I learnt is that though breastfeeding has its own intended benefits, it may not be for everyone so don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t work. As long as you have given it your best shot, the baby’s and mommy’s health and sanity are the most important.

Papaya Fish Soup

Friends told me to eat more fish postpartum so as to help increase milk supply for breastfeeding. Angela’s sister-in-law also had a baby recently. Her daughter is 10 weeks older than Baby J and she was so nice to pass me this recipe.

Did this soup really increase my milk supply? I am not sure. All I know is that these days, Baby J seems contented after suckling. The “psychological” effect that the Papaya Fish Soup has on me seems to be working.
Ingredients:

- 1 white fish tail or fish bones or fish meat ~ about 1kg- 100g raw peanuts (or black beans)- 1 raw or half-ripe papaya, about 1kg - cut into cubes/wedges- 1 piece tangerine peel- 4 slices old ginger- 1.5 litres boiling water- 2 tbsp oil
Cooking Method:
1. Heat oil & fry ginger slices, then fry fish in oil until brown.
2. Put all ingredients into the slow cooker and simmer for about 2 to 3 hrs - generally until the soup smells really fragrant. Enjoy!
Unfortunately, I could not find green papayas in the 2 Asian supermarkets I frequent so I made do with almost ripe ones. Also, since I belong to the Pork Lover’s Association, I HAD to add some minced pork to the soup. This is the picture of my version: (added minced pork 300g, and did not put raw peanuts and tangerine peel.

Did this soup really increase my milk supply? I am not sure. All I know is that these days, Baby J seems contented after suckling. The “psychological” effect that the Papaya Fish Soup has on me seems to be working

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Fried Potatoes With Beef Easy Chinese Recipe Made Un-Easy By A Baby

Dried Sole - The meat portion

Dried Sole

One of my new readers asked what is dried sole, and since I have a couple of pictures on hand, I thought I’d post them. Actually, I didn’t know what’s the name of this ingredient in English until I read it in Rasa Malaysia’s Stir-fried Brussels Sprout with Dried Sole post.
I cannot find dried sole in the Bay Area so I had my mom bring them for me when she came over to help with the new baby a few months ago. Thanks mom!
She brought the raw ingredient just so as to educate me on how a dried sole looks like, since I was only familiar with the fried end-product, as in Rasa Malaysia’s recipe pictures, and in Teochew, we call it “tee po” (sounds about right). They are usually cut into squares and then fried with a good amount of oil. The bony portion of the dried sole is difficult to cut, so do use a sharp pair of kitchen scissors and be careful!
I use dried sole quite a bit, like in soups, stir fried vegetables, Minced Pork with Tofu and Wantons. It is packed with flavor!
I still have a bottle of pre-fried dried sole stored in the freezer for use whenever I need it. Mmm… what shall I cook with it next?

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