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–+ servings

Goya Champuru (Okinawan Bitter Melon Stir Fry)

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 2 portions

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • First, cut 1 Okinawan bitter melon (goya) in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds.
    Goya (Okinawan bitter melon) cut lengthways with seeds removed
  • Cut it into 5mm slices and place in a bowl. Add ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp sugar and massage until evenly covered. Rest for 10 minutes.
    Goya (Okinawan bitter melon) in a bowl rubbed with salt and sugar
  • Wrap 200 g firm tofu with kitchen paper and place it on a microwavable plate. Microwave uncovered for 1 ½ minutes at 600W to evaporate excess liquid. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
    Firm tofu wrapped in kitchen paper
  • After 10 minutes of resting, fill the bowl of goya with fresh water, swish and pour it through a colander to drain. Shake thoroughly and set by the stove for later.
    Goya (Okinawan bitter melon) washed in a bowl of cold water
  • Once the tofu is cool enough to touch, cut it into bitesize cubes and start heating a frying pan on medium.
    Firm tofu cut into rectangles
  • Once the pan is hot, add 1 tbsp cooking oil. Place the tofu down and brown it on each side. When it's brown and slightly crispy all over, remove it from the pan and transfer it to a heatproof plate.
    Browned firm tofu in a frying pan
  • In the same pan, sear 150 g thinly sliced pork belly on both sides until the fat begins to crisp up.
    Thinly sliced pork belly cooking in a frying pan
  • Add the goya to the pan and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
    Thinly sliced pork belly and goya (Okinawan bitter melon) cooking in a frying pan
  • Add the tofu back into the pan and sprinkle with 1 pinch salt and pepper. Pour 1 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) around the edge of the pan, let it bubble for 10 seconds and then mix it through the ingredients.
    Thinly sliced pork belly, goya (Okinawan bitter melon) and firm tofu cooking in a frying pan
  • Crack 1 egg into a bowl and whisk until the whites and yolks are combined. Pour it into the pan and without mixing, cook until half done.
    whisking egg white and egg yolk together in a glass jug
  • Turn off the heat, then add another 1 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and break up the egg with a spatula, mixing gently until evenly distributed.
    goya champuru stir fried in frying pan
  • Plate up and generous sprinkle bonito flakes (katsuobushi) over the top. Enjoy!
    Goya Champuru (Okinawan Bitter Melon Stir Fry) on a grey plate

Notes

Use pork belly with plenty of visible fat: The rendered sweet fat is what carries the goya, and sugar or a leaner cut cannot rebuild it. Pick slices with generous white running through them and sear both sides properly before the goya goes in.
Cook hot and fast, and stir less than you want to: Goya turns limp and dull the moment the pan drops below a real sizzle. Keep the heat high and move the slices as little as you can, so they hold a crisp-tender bite.
Add the finishing soy off the heat, then pull the pan: Stir the second splash of soy sauce in as you cut the heat, then lift the pan off the burner. The residual warmth keeps the soy fresh and finishes the egg soft instead of rubbery.
Slice the goya about 5mm thick: Too thin and the slices lose their bite in the pan, too thick and the bitterness reads louder and sharper.
Do not over-scrape the white pith: The bitterness lives in the green flesh, not the pith. Scoop out only the seeds and the loose spongy center, which is about keeping the slices from turning watery, not removing bitterness.