Goya is bittergourd in Japanese and chanpuru is a form of stir-fried dish. Goya chapuru is one of Okinawa’s most famous dishes and it has become popular throughout Japan. Summer in Japan is very hot and many people lose their appetites. It is said that the bitterness of goya whets the appetite and that it has medicinal qualities to energise the body during the hot summer months. When I first ate goya, I was surprised by its harsh bitterness but now I’m addicted to it!
Ingredients
- 20 cm (8-in) each Japanese bittergourds (goya)
- Salt a pinch + more to taste
- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 4¼ oz (120 g) Luncheon meat or ham, cut into 0.5–1-cm (¼–½-in) cubes
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 Egg, beaten
- 0.2 oz (6 g) Bonito flakes + more to garnish
- 17 oz (480 g) Cooked Japanese short grain rice
Seasoning
- 2 tsp Chicken stock granules
- 2 tbsp Sake
- Sesame oil to taste
- 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce (shoyu)
How to Make It
- Cut bittergourd into half lengthwise and remove seeds. Cut the bittergourd again in half lengthwise, then slice thinly.
- Place bittergourd into a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Mix well. Leave aside for 3–5 minutes. Taste and if bittergourd is too bitter, leave for another 1 minute. Rinse in cold water and drain well by squeezing with your hands.
- Combine seasoning ingredients in a small container and mix well.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan and stir-fry luncheon meat or ham until slightly browned. Add bittergourd, pepper and seasoning ingredients. Stir-fry for a few seconds. Add egg and mix well. Cook until bittergourd is softened and moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat.
- Combine 6–7 Tbsp bittergourd mixture, bonito flakes and rice in a bowl and mix well. You can add more bittergourd mixture if you like, but adding too much makes it difficult for the rice to stay together.
- Place cling wrap in a rice bowl and scoop one-quarter of the rice into bowl. Pull out rice together with cling wrap and mould rice into your preferred shape. Remove cling wrap and garnish with more bonito flakes. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
