Goya Champuru (Okinawan Bitter Melon Stir-Fry)

Name: Goya Champuru (Okinawan Bitter Melon Stir-Fry)
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4人分
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 300 g goya (bitter melon); 300 g shima-dofu (Okinawan island tofu) or firm tofu; 100 g pork belly (or a pork belly block); 2 eggs; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; Salt, to taste; A dash of soy sauce (optional); Katsuobushi (bonito flakes), to taste (optional)

By Chef Cannon

Cuisine: Japanese

Region: 沖縄県

Servings: 4人分

Goya Champuru (Okinawan Bitter Melon Stir-Fry) is a home-style vegetable dish. Ingredients and step-by-step instructions are below, with notes for home cooking.

Ingredients

300 g goya (bitter melon)
300 g shima-dofu (Okinawan island tofu) or firm tofu
100 g pork belly (or a pork belly block)
2 eggs
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt, to taste
A dash of soy sauce (optional)
Katsuobushi (bonito flakes), to taste (optional)

Steps

[Boil the pork] Dip the whole block in boiling water to clean the surface. Change the water and simmer over medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes, skimming off any scum. It is done when a chopstick slides in easily and clear juices run from the hole. Let it cool a little, then cut into 5 mm thick strips.
[Goya] Halve lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and white pith cleanly with a spoon, and slice 3–4 mm wide. To tone down the bitterness, toss with 1/2 tsp salt, leave for 5 minutes and squeeze lightly.
[Tofu] For shima-dofu, just pat the surface dry. For firm tofu, wrap in paper towel, weigh down with a plate and drain for about 10 minutes.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp oil, and tear the tofu into large pieces into the pan. Without moving it much, cook for 2 to 3 minutes until golden all over, then take it out.
Add the remaining oil and stir-fry the goya over medium-low heat for about 1 minute. When it turns bright green and softens slightly, return the pork and tofu to the pan and season with salt.
Pour the beaten eggs over everything, fold 2 or 3 times in big strokes, and turn off the heat while the eggs are still soft. If you like, add a drop of soy sauce around the edge of the pan; serve topped with bonito flakes.

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Notes

Searing the tofu first and setting it aside keeps it from crumbling during stir-frying and keeps its toasty flavour.

In Okinawa, canned pork luncheon meat instead of pork is a classic. In that case cut back heavily on the salt.

If you slice the goya too thin it loses its crunch, so aim for 3–4 mm.

Season the pork cooking water with salt and you have a soup.

Not suitable for making ahead: the eggs and tofu release water, so it's best eaten the same day.

Origin and history

Champuru is an Okinawan home dish of seared shima-dofu stir-fried with seasonal vegetables. The version with goya is the most famous, and it now appears on dinner tables all over Japan.

Shima-dofu is essential. Much firmer than mainland tofu, it holds its shape even when stir-fried over high heat. Traditional shima-dofu is sold warm without being soaked in water, and is said to have a richer soybean flavour.

Okinawa is Japan's top goya producer: in 2018 (Heisei 30) it shipped 6,247 tonnes, more than twice as much as second-placed Miyazaki. Its distinctive bitterness whets the appetite and it is rich in vitamin C, so it has long been valued as a dish to beat summer fatigue. Now that improved varieties make it available year-round, it is made in every season.