The other day, I introduced how to make Goya champuru, Okinawan superfood, without using pork, and that was Goya champuru with salmon. Salmon is a superfood and it is a superfood mashup, too, but today I will share with you something better. Goya with mackerel. Mackerel is considered to be one of the most popular superfoods in Japan, and you see canned mackerel piling up at supermarket shelves everywhere.
Both salmon and mackerel are superfoods and they are known for having a lot of health benefits. Nevertheless, I think mackerel is slightly better if I compare the two.
For one, mackerel is a blue-skinned fish and blue-skinned fish came in second in a vote of the top 1o healthiest foods, determined by 300 doctors in Japan in January 2019.
The other reason is that mackerel is a small fish and it is better from the point of view of Ichibutsu Zentai Shoku.
What is Ichibutsu Zentaishoku? Watch this.
Goya is another superfood and it is from Okinawa. It is famous for having a lot of health benefits; rich in vitamins and minerals, good for cancer and type 2 diabetes, and has anti-aging and weight loss effects.
How to make Stir-fried Goya and Mackerel
First, you cut goya into half.
You scrape the inside off.
Next, you slice them.
Then, you put them into a bowl.
You put some salt.
And mix them together.
You leave them in the bowl for one hour.
While you are waiting for goya, you prepare mackerel. I said canned mackerel was popular in Japan and you could use it, but I usually pressure steam mackerel since it is more natural.
You pour some water into a pressure cooker.
You put a steamer in the pressure cooker and turn the gas on.
When the water is boiled, you put some pieces of mackerel on the steamer.
Then you put the lid on with high pressure.
When the pressure comes on, you turn down the gas to low flame and pressure steam it for 30 minutes.
That makes mackerel very soft including the bones, the same state as canned mackerel. The good thing about pressure steaming mackerel is that you can eat the whole fish including the bones. You cut the fish into some blocks.
Now, it is almost one hour after mixing salt and goya. Then, you squeeze goya to remove liquid as much as possible. In this way, the bitterness goes away, too.
On a frying pan, you put some mayonnaise.
Next, you put goya and pressure steamed mackerel into the frying pan.
And you stir them.
After that, you put Katsuobushi, bonito flakes. It gives Dashi flavor.
That’s it. Mayonnaise and bonito flakes are the key to balance the bitterness of goya.
You can make Goya champuru with mackerel, too. The recipe is the same as Goya champuru with salmon. You just replace salmon with pressure steamed mackerel.
The Ikigai Diet: The Secret Japanese Diet to Health and Longevity
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