Recipe
Goya and Pork Belly Champuru, Made with HOT SPICE Umakara
A stir-fry in which the bitterness of goya (bitter melon) and the fat of pork belly are drawn together by a shake at the end. Pour the egg in just before you take the pan off the heat, and stop while it is still soft.
A dish to sharpen the appetite, built on HOT SPICE Umakara — a blend whose heat is there to lift the savour of what it is on.
Time needed: about 20 minutes
On top of that, the tofu needs 10 minutes to drain.
Ingredients (serves 2)
- HOT SPICE Umakara: to taste (start with a little)
- Goya (bitter melon): 1 (about 250 g)
- Firm tofu (momen): 1 block (300 g)
- Thinly sliced pork belly: 150 g
- Eggs: 2
- Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes): 1 pack (about 3 g)
- Salt: 1/3 tsp
- Soy sauce: 2 tsp
- Oil: 1 tbsp
Preparation
- Wrap the firm tofu in kitchen paper, leave it for about 10 minutes to drain, then break it into bite-sized pieces by hand.
- Cut the goya in half lengthways, scoop out the pith and seeds with a spoon, then cut it into 3–4mm half-moons. The more of the pith you take away, the gentler the bitterness.
- Cut the thinly sliced pork belly into 4cm widths.
- Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them.
Method
- Put the “oil: 1 tbsp” into a frying pan over a medium heat and lay the tofu in. Leave it untouched for about 2 minutes, and once it has coloured, turn it and cook for another minute, then take it out.
- Spread the pork belly into the same pan and fry it over that same medium heat. Once the fat has run and the edges begin to shrink, add the goya and fry for about 2 minutes.
- When the green of the goya has deepened and the edges have turned translucent, return the tofu, pour the “salt: 1/3 tsp” and “soy sauce: 2 tsp” around the rim of the pan, and fold everything together in broad movements so the tofu does not break up.
- Pour in the beaten egg, fold it through just two or three times, and take the pan off the heat while it is still soft. Egg sets in the residual heat, so stop at the point that feels early.
- Serve, and shake over as much “HOT SPICE Umakara” as you like, and the katsuobushi.
Do not stir it in; eat from where it has fallen. The heat and the citrus aroma arrive in turn.
The seasoning is kept restrained. Taste, and if it needs more, adjust with a pinch of salt at a time.
The Inspice used in this recipe
No measuring, and dispatched in one to two business days.
A six-spice blend with chili at the top of the ingredient list. Second on the list is dried mandarin peel, whose citrus aroma lightens the pork belly fat and joins the bitterness of the goya to tighten the aftertaste. Sprinkle it on at the finish and the residual heat brings the aroma up.
Reading it in the kitchen? Send this recipe to LINE
If you liked it, keep it for later.
Keep this recipe to hand — for the shopping list, and for the kitchen bench. New recipes come by LINE too.
Send this recipe by email
Other recipes you can make with HOT SPICE — Savoury Heat
With just one of them, these dishes are open to you.
