gluten-free goya chanpuru

 

This is not the Goya brand of seasoning in the US; it's the goya vegetable, also called bitter melon, that grows in Japan and is seasonal only in the summer. It's bitter and lovely and super healthy. 

Recipe comes mostly from Just One Cookbook. 

You'll need:

• 1 goya/bitter melon (I used a white one that my neighbor gave me from her garden--it was riper than the usual green ones that you buy in the store)
• 1 teaspoon salt (for the goya)
• 300g firm tofu
• 500g thinly-sliced pork
• 6 eggs
• neutral-flavored oil
• salt and pepper
• a few tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
• 1 or 2 small packets katsuobushi fish flakes (usually a Japanese package will have about 6 packets in each)
• 1/2 cup boiling water

Do this: 

First, make your fish stock: Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over 1 or 2 packets of katsuobushi fish flakes and let it set. When you're almost ready for the stock, strain out the fish flakes and keep the stock. 

Then, slice your goya lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and throw away, slice it up, then toss 1 teaspoon of salt on the goya in a salad spinner insert. Let that set at least 10 minutes then rinse and spin.

Wrap your tofu in paper towels and put a flat pan on top and then some kind of weight to squeeze the water out. 

Cut your pork up into bite-sized pieces.

In a bowl, crack your eggs and beat. 

Tear the drained tofu into bite-sized pieces. 

In a large frying pan, heat up some oil and brown your tofu on both sides. Don't turn it often. When it's brown all over, put on a plate. 

Then brown your goya with some salt and oil and then put that on the plate with the tofu.

Brown your pork with oil, salt, and pepper, then add the tofu and goya back in. Add in your strained fish stock and your 3 tablespoons or so of soy sauce.

Toss to combine, let the liquid evaporate a little bit, and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Add in your beaten eggs and let that set, then scoop it out and serve over rice in a bowl with more fish flakes on top. Eat with a spoon and enjoy to the hilt. We all love this. 

(Make sure you give yourself enough time for this dish. Each separate ingredient that needs browning takes a chunk of time.)