Goya Chanpuru (ゴーヤ チャンプルー): Bitter Melon Stir Fry

Goya Chanpuru (ゴーヤ チャンプルー) is a classic stir fried dish from Okinawa Prefecture (Kyushu Region).

It consists mainly of tofu stir fried together with bitter melon. Typically, there is also egg, pork or spam added. It is usually eaten together with rice.

The word “goya” means bitter melon in Okinawan dialect.

The word “chanpuru” means stir fry in Okinawan dialect. Specifically, it means to stir fry with tofu.

In Okinawa, there are many “chanpuru” dishes. The word before chanpuru (e.g. goya) indicates the main vegetable used in the stir fry. For example, there could also be “cabbage chanpuru”, which means tofu stir fried with cabbage.

Read on for more interesting info about goya chanpuru!

Ingredients

The main ingredients of Goya Chanpuru are:

• Bitter Melon
• Tofu
• Egg
• Pork or “SPAM”

For it to be considered “authentic” Okinawa chanpuru, “island tofu” (i.e. “shima toufu” 島豆腐) must be used.

Island tofu basically refers to tofu made in Okinawa, which in the past had a unique manufacturing method. It is very firm/tough compared to regular tofu, so that it does not break apart when stir frying.

Bitter melon is also a very common ingredient in Okinawa, and was traditionally only available in summer, though it is now available year round. Bitter melon actually spread from Okinawa to the rest of Japan.

If meat is used, it is usually either pork or spam (i.e. luncheon meat). Pork is the most popular/common type meat in Okinawa. After World War II, spam started being used due to the influence of the US military, which has many bases throughout Okinawa.

Location / Where to Eat

Goya chanpuru can be found at restaurants all throughout Okinawa. According to the Japan restaurant review site tabelog, there are over 1000 shops in Okinawa that mention “goya chanpuru”. It can be found a higher end restaurants, as well as local diners, and izakayas.

It is also commonly cooked at home. Goya chanpuru is particularly popular in the summer, as bitter melon is said to help “cool” down your body.　

Outside of Okinawa, you can find goya chanpuru in many restaurants or bars/izakayas that specialize in Okinawan cuisine

History / Origin of Goya Chanpuru

Bitter melon is said to have been introduced to Okinawa (then known as the Ryukyu Kingdom) by China over 300 years ago. It has since been locally grown and become a staple vegetable of Okinawa.

It is not exactly known when or how “chanpuru” (i.e. tofu stiry fry dish) was first created, but it was most likely started as a home-cooked dish. At first, the dish only consisted of tofu and vegetables, as meat was not common.

It was not until after World War II that meat started being frequently used in Okinawa. In particular, “SPAM” (i.e. luncheon meat) began being used, thanks to influence and supply from the American military.

There is a theory that the world “champuru” is derived from the Indonesian word “campur“, which is also a mixed rice dish. The Dutch once controlled Indonesia, and could have brought the word to Japan during trades. There is no real evidence to support this claim though.

How to make goya chanpuru

Making goya chanpuru is not too difficult. Simply cut up the ingredients, and stir fry them together with a few basic seasonings (salt, pepper, soy sauce). Most of the time will be spent prepping the ingredients.

Depending where in the world you are, the most difficult part of making this dish may be finding bitter melon and extra firm tofu.

If you can find some suitable ingredients, then check out this great step-by-step recipe adapted from sirogohan:

Easy Goya Chanpuru Recipe (ゴーヤ チャンプルー)

Course: MainCuisine: Japanese, OkinawanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

Cooking time

10

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Here is a great and simple recipe to make Okinawan-style bitter melon stir fry … i.e. goya chanpuru! Perfect refreshing dish for hot summer days.

Equipment & Ingredients

• Equipment

• Knife & Cutting Board

• Frying pan

• Spoon

• Mixing Bowls

• Ingredients

• Bitter melon … 1/2 melon

• Firm tofu … 1/2 block

• Pork belly (thinly sliced) … 100g

• Egg … 1

• Cooking oil … 1 teaspoon

• Sesame oil …1 teaspoon

• Salt …1/4 teaspoon

• Sugar …1 teaspoon

• Soy sauce … 2 teaspoons

• Salt & Pepper … appropriate amount (seasoning)

Directions

• Prep
• Remove moisture from the tofu by wrapping it in paper towel or a clean cloth, and adding some weight on top to press it down for about 1 hour. Continue preparing other ingredients as you wait. If you don’t have so much time, you can also just pat the tofu dry as best you can, though it won’t quite be as good.
• Prepare the bitter melon. First cut off the stems, then cut it in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Cut into slices about 0.5cm wide.
• Put the bitter melon slices into a bowl and mix well with sugar and salt. Let sit for about 5 minutes. This helps remove excess bitterness and moisture.
• Cut the pork belly into 3-4 cm wide pieces, and season with a little salt and pepper.
• Beat an egg in a small bowl and set aside
• Once the tofu has drained of moisture, cut it into bite sized pieces, or simply rip it apart with your hands.
• Cook
• Add 1 teaspoon of oil to a frying pan and heat over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add tofu and fry until both sides of the tofu are lightly browned. Remove and set aside for later.
• Add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil to the pan on medium-low heat. Add the bitter melon slices (without the drained moisture/water) and stir fry until translucent, or about 80% cooked through. Remove and set aside for later with the tofu.
• Quickly sear both sides of the pork slices. When the pork is nearly cooked through, add the tofu and bitter gourd back in.
• Stir fry everything together until cooked through, and season with a bit of salt/peper.
• Add the one beaten egg over everything. Let everything sit for about 10 seconds before mixing together. This allows the eggs to stick nicely to the other ingredients.
• Finally, add soy sauce from edge of the pan, and stir-fry briefly for another 5-10 seconds. Turn off the heat, and you’re done! Enjoy!

Recipe Video

Notes

• Enjoy with a bowl of freshly cooked rice.

Summary

Have you ever tried goya chanpuru before? What did you think of it?

Leave your thoughts and comments below!