How to make Goya Champuru without using pork. That is what I will share with you today.
Although I said Okinawa isn’t the only longevity region in Japan, it certainly is a long-lived island and we can learn so much from the Okinawan lifestyle and diet. It is one of the Blue Zones after all, and Ogimi village in the northern part of Okinawa was recognized as the longest lived village in Japan in 1974 by Hiromich Hagiwara, the co-author of Long-lived Villages and Short-lived Villages in Japan, using Kondo’s method.
Recently, Okinawa is drawing the attention of many in Japan, too, maybe it is to do with its popularity outside. Food like sweet potatoes and Goya are becoming popular in Hondo, the main islands of Japan. A lot of people grow Goya in my town, as well, which is wonderful because we get to have a locally grown Okinawan vegetable.
Goya 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. You definitely want to include it in your diet.
Nevertheless, it is very bitter as it is also called a bitter melon. Well, that is why it is so good since it is often said the more bitter the medicine is, the more effective it is.
Goya champuru is the most famous dish using goya, but it usually contains pork. That is one drawback of Okinawan dishes, there are many dishes with pork. The Okinawan centenarians didn’t eat much pork though, they only had pork or any other meat a few times a year at special festive occasions. In other words, pork was very much a dish of Hare, as in Hare and Ke.
So, is there a way to make Goya champuru without using pork?
Yes, there is. One way is to use salmon instead.
Salmon Goya champuru recipe
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.
Then, you squeeze them to remove liquid as much as possible. In this way, bitterness goes away, too.
Next, have salmon ready.
Then, cut salmon into blocks.
Next, you cut tofu into cubes. Use Momendofu, the hard tofu, if you can get hold of it.
When the ingredients are all ready, you pour oil in a frying pan.
After that, you put Goya and salmon.
You stirfry them.
Then, you add tofu. You can sprinkle some Dashi here, too, if you have it.
Next, you break an egg.
And mix it.
You pour the egg on the food, and leave it without stirring until the egg is poached.
Then, you mix the egg and other ingredients and pour soy sauce over it.
That’s it. Since salmon is a superfood, too, the effect is doubled, and it becomes one of the healthiest dishes in the world.
The Ikigai Diet: The Secret Japanese Diet to Health and Longevity
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