I Think I'm Cooking Japanese: Goya Chanpuru

Goya. It looks like a cucumber with an STD. We had often marveled over the ugly vegetable at the grocery store without knowing it's name. Koji, the music teacher at one of Shaun's junior high school, is also in charge of the school garden. He gave us a goya ("bitter melon") grown in the school garden, along with very casual cooking instructions.

I googled the vegetable to find a recipe. I was nervous about making a Japanese dish without more exact directions. In my search, I learned some interesting facts about the goya. Originated in Okinawa, it is now grown all over Asia. The goya is plentiful in late summer; the Japanese believe that bitterness is good for the blood and will help them survive the hot, hot weather. Super healthy, goya is thought to have many medicinal benefits for everything from cancer to diabetes. There were also dire warnings about the bitterness, and how it may be an acquired taste to actually enjoy this hideous little veg.

So Koji gave us another goya today, the last one picked from the Ryujin JHS garden before they razed it for the fall. Awwww! Wasn\t that nice?!

I found a recipe for Goya Chanpuru, a traditional Okinawan stir-fry, that sounded pretty close to Koji's description. The original recipe calls for SPAM, which is considered a delicacy in Okinawa! Seriously! But the recipe has been updated to include sauteed pork, which is just fine by me. I omitted the tofu because Shaun doesn't like it. I have tried the tofu here, and must say it is creamy and delish - not the tasteless blob of creepy texture I remember gagging on back home. I also left out the tablespoon of sake because I don't like the taste.

The goya must be sliced in half and the center scooped out, like any other gourd. After slicing it thin, salt is sprinkled over the top to absorb the bitterness for about 15 minutes before boiling it for about five minutes.

Next, slice your onion and pork, a plentiful and inexpensive meat here in Japan. Saute these in a tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil, add a teaspoon each of soy and salt. Add the goya and continue to fry, stirring constantly. Finally, add two beaten eggs and stir as they cook.

This is a yummy meal; very nutritious and easy to prepare. I serve it on a bed of plain white rice. Sidebar: there is no Minute Rice to be found anywhere on the island of Japan! And considering that rice is grown all over the country, it is surprisingly expensive. I keeping thinking we should buy a rice cooker, but haven't yet, so I cook it the old-fashioned way, in a big old pot. It was tricky at first, but I think I've finally gotten the hang of it. At least I don't have to look up the water-to-rice ratio anymore!

Goya Chanpuru might look a teeny bit like someone vomited in the wok, but I promise you that it is very tasty and quite filling!