Goya Champuru (Okinawan bitter melon stir fry)

Goya champuru is a famous stir fry dish made with Okinawan bitter melon. It's a popular homecooked dish all across Japan due to it's unusual bitter, yet refreshing taste. It's also quick and easy to make!

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• What is goya champuru?
• Instructions on how to make homemade goya champuru
• Step by step recipe
• FAQ

What is goya champuru?

Goya champuru is a homely dish in which Okinawan bitter melon (goya) is stir-fried with island tofu (Okinawan firm tofu) and eggs to make the flavour softer and easier to eat, it is a delicious dish that you can eat every day and not get tired of. In Japan, Goya Champuru is so well known throughout the country that it is the first dish that immediately comes to mind when we think of Okinawan cuisine.

The word "Champuru" means "jumbled" in the Okinawan dialect, and is a dish made with tofu and a variety of other ingredients. When using goya (bitter melon), it becomes "goya champuru," and when using māminā (Okinawan dialect for beansprouts), it is called "māminā champuru," so the name of the ingredient used is prefixed to the word "champuru". By the way, the word "champuru" is said to be derived from the Malay or Indonesian word "campur".

Since island tofu is difficult to obtain outside of Okinawa, it is often substituted with regular firm tofu (momen in Japanese).

What is goya/bitter melon?

Goya (also known as bitter melon) is a cucurbitaceous plant whose unripe green fruits are mainly used as a vegetable. This vegetable has been eaten in Okinawa since old times, and its strong bitterness is both its appeal and also a reason why children dislike it. The seeds and florets have a strong bitterness, so make sure to scoop them out with a spoon.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries' Annual Production of Regional Specialty Vegetables (2020), goya shipments totaled 17,900 tons nationwide, with Okinawa (6,070 tons), Miyazaki (2,600 tons), and Kagoshima (1,670 tons) as the main production areas. Most production areas in Japan are in the south.

Ingredients

Goya champuru can be made with a wide variety of ingredients, including vegetables that are easily available or can be harvested in a home garden, or with ingredients that are already in your fridge. After all, "chanpuru" means "jumbled".

Apart from goya, vegetables such as cabbage, onions, carrots, and bean sprouts, tofu, pork, corned beef, and eggs are often used.

But in this recipe, I use following ingredients:

• Goya (bitter melon)
• Pork belly
• Firm tofu
• Egg
• Soy sauce
• Salt
• Sesame oil
• Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

See recipe card for details and quantities.

Substitutes

I know goya is not that common vegetable to get around the world, so here is the list of substitute vegetables that you can use to replace goya:

• Cabbage
• Beansprouts
• Papaya

Or you can use your local favourite vegetable to make your own kind of champuru!

Instructions on how to make homemade goya champuru

Goya champuru is an easy dish to make, but here are a few important steps to cook each ingredient to perfection! Here is my step by step recipe including how to prepare the goya and tofu. For the full ingredients list, see the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Prepare the goya

I have to admit goya is one of the most bitter vegetables I have had in my whole life, but the bitterness is part of the beauty of this unique vegetable. It is important to prepare goya properly to soften the bitterness slightly and improve the overall flavor.

First, wash the goya and cut off the top. Next, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds using spoon.

The inside is not quite as bitter as the outer green part, so don't worry about getting every last bit here.

Next, turn the goya halves over (this will stop them from rolling) and cut slices about 5mm thick.

If it's cut too thin, the texture will be lost, and if cut too thick, the bitter taste will become stronger and more obvious, so it is important to cut at just the right thickness.

Next, rub the sliced goya with salt and sugar. The salt helps brings out the flavor, while the sugar helps balance the bitterness. Leave it to rest for 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes are up, wash the goya with cold water.

Pour the contents of the bowl through a sieve or colander to drain the water and set the goya aside for later.

Prepare the tofu

Before stir frying tofu, you need to remove the excess liquid. Rather than pressing the tofu (which takes time), I wrap it with kitchen paper and microwave it for 1 ½ minutes at 600W.

Allow it to cool for a few minutes, remove the kitchen paper and then pat it dry.

You can now cut it into bitesize cubes like this.

It's now ready to cook!

Fry the tofu separately

For this recipe, I like to stir fry the tofu on its own. This allows it to become crispy and turn a beautiful golden colour without interference from the fats and liquids from the other ingredients.

Remove it from the pan and set it aside so that it stays beautiful and doesn't break or become overcooked!

Brown the pork, then stir fry with goya and tofu

Using the same pan, fry the pork belly until it's sealed on both sides and add the sliced goya. Stir fry them together for 2-3 minutes.

Next, add the tofu back in with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix.

Add a dash of soy sauce and mix again.

Add the egg

Whisk the egg in a separate bowl and pour it into the pan.

Allow the eggs to become half cooked before mixing. If you mix too early, the egg will break up into small pieces and become lost amongst the other ingredients.

Once the egg is half cooked, add a dash of soy sauce, mix quickly and then remove from the heat. The eggs will continue to cook in the residual heat from the other ingredients, taking it off the stove early prevents overcooked rubbery egg!

Serve

Dish up and sprinkle with kastuobushi (bonito flakes).

Goya Champuru goes well with rice or noodles!

I hope you enjoyed this classic Okinawan dish! If you try the recipe, be sure to let me know what you thought in the comments below. Happy cooking!

I hope you enjoy this classic Okinawa style home cooked dish!

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