Goya Champuru Yakisoba

Guess what - we got GOYA! In case you don't know, goya is a bitter melon that looks like a bumpy cucumber and is indigenous to Asia. Right now in Tokyo, people are finding other ways to stay cool besides using the AC, so planting goya as a "green curtain" in front of your windows and veranda is all the rage. As a result, we have a surplus of goya everywhere, including our own garden.

The most famous dish using goya is an Okinawan one called "Goya Champuru," which I will show you how to make one of these days. This is a variation on this dish using yakisoba, which is a treat that Japanese eat during festivals around the country. It has a real feel of summer, the way watermelon and hot dogs do in America.

This dish uses a number of items that may only be available at an Asian foods market, but unless you've lived in Japan, I guarantee you've never had anything like it.

Ingredients:

2 mounds of yakisoba
1/2 goya, cut lengthwise
80g spam (yep, they love this stuff in Okinawa)
2 tbsp salad oil
2 tbsp chicken broth
60 cc water
2 eggs
2 tsp soy sauce

Directions:

1)  Cut the goya into thin slices to resemble half-moon shapes. Soak them in saltwater for 10 minutes.
2) Heat up the vegetable oil in the frying pan, and add the goya and the spam. Cook until the spam has just begun to darken.
3) Add the yakisoba noodles and the water, and stir fry, tossing gently until the water has evaporated. Add the chicken broth and mix.
4) Mix the eggs in a small bowl, then pour in the saucepan. Cook until eggs are gently hardened.
5) Add soy sauce, mix and serve.

Tips:
* Goya is very bitter, and when it is cooked it it usually soaked in salt water to remove some of the bitterness. This is done to taste - some people prefer it bitter and others prefer it cucumber sweet. After a few times eating it you should be able to judge how long you want to soak your goya.