Papeda Kuah Kuning: Papuan Sago with Turmeric Fish Soup

Method14 steps · about 1 hr 5 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Cut the fish into 4–5 pieces and sprinkle with juice from half the lime. Keep chilled while preparing the soup spices.

   Uses 500 g red snapper fillet · Juice from half a lime

2. 2

   Step 2: Grind into a fine paste: shallots (8), garlic (3 cloves), big red chillies (2), turmeric (4 cm) and ginger (2 cm).

   Uses 8 shallots, peeled, chopped · 3 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped · 2 big red chillies, chopped · 4 cm turmeric, peeled, chopped · 2 cm ginger, peeled, chopped

3. 3

   Step 3: Heat the cooking oil (3 tbsp) in a wok over medium high heat.

   Uses 3 tbsp cooking oil

4. 4

   Step 4: Saute the ground spices until fragrant, around 3 minutes.

   Sauté fish-soup spice paste · 3 minUses heated cooking oil · ground fish-soup spices

5. 5

   Step 5: Add galangal (3 cm), lemongrass (1) and lime leaves. Continue to fry for around 3 minutes.

   Fry fish-soup herbs · 3 minUses fried fish-soup spice paste · 3 cm galangal, bruised · 1 lemongrass, use only the white part, bruised, knotted · 4 kaffir lime leaves

6. 6

   Step 6: Add the fish, mix with the spices.

   Uses fried paste and herbs · lime-seasoned snapper pieces

7. 7

   Step 7: Add the water (800 ml).

   Uses snapper coated in soup spices · 800 ml water

8. 8

   Step 8: Add salt (to taste) and a pinch of sugar.

   Uses fish in turmeric broth · Salt to taste · 1 pinch sugar for fish soup

9. 9

   Step 9: Cook until the soup boils, over medium high heat, then lower the heat to medium.

   Uses seasoned turmeric-fish broth

10. 10

    Step 10: Simmer the fish for around 20 minutes. Add the whole bird’s-eye chillies if using and continue for another 5 minutes,25 minutes total for this stage. Check the thickest fish reaches 63°C (145°F), or is opaque and flakes easily.

    Simmer fish and finish chillies · 25 minUses fish in simmering turmeric broth · 5 whole birds eyes chillies (optional)

11. 11

    Step 11: Add the kemangi leaves (1 handful), stir, close the lid and turn off the heat.

    Uses cooked turmeric-fish soup · 1 handful kemangi leaves

12. 12

    Step 12: Mix the sago starch (150 g) with 50 ml of water until it is completely dissolved and there are no more clumps.

    Uses 150 g sago starch · 50 ml cold drinking water

13. 13

    Step 13: Bring the remaining 650 ml drinking water to a boil and carefully pour it over the smooth sago slurry.

    Uses smooth cold sago slurry · Remaining 650 ml drinking water, boiled

14. 14

    Step 14: Stir the sago quickly with a wooden spoon until completely translucent with no whitish parts. If it has not thickened and cleared, heat it gently over low heat while stirring until translucent. Ladle the fish soup into bowls and add scoops or rolls of the cooked papeda, as described in the full article.

    Uses sago mixture with boiled water · finished turmeric-fish soup