Goya Chanpuru

Goya, a bitter melon or gourd, is a surprisingly popular vegetable in the U.K., but you might know it better as karavella, karela, kugua, bitter gourd, bitter melon, korola, caraille, cerasee, or kudret narı. This tasty vegetable is enjoyed in the Near East, Africa, Asia, South East Asia, the Caribbean, and South America. So you should be able to find it in most regional food specialist stores with a fresh vegetable section. Goya is also used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine so it can also sometimes be found in health food stores too.

Goya recipes are often cooked during the summer in Japan because the goya, is said to beat the heat, among other purported medicinal and health benefits.

Chanpuru is a specialty of Japan's Okinawa region and is a stir-fried dish made with vibrant green goya, soy sauce, tofu, pork, and egg. Chanpuru means mixed. Surprisingly the term comes from Indonesian word campur, which also means "mixed." In addition to the goya itself, this recipe includes tofu and pork as its main ingredients. You can also add other vegetables of your choice, such as carrot, green beans, and bean sprouts just to name a few.

Goya has a tasty, mild and bitter flavor, but if you’re not good with bitter tastes you can soak the bitter melon in hot water for 30 seconds before stir-frying. A dab of oyster sauce can also help to counteract the bitter taste.

A quick search online about bitter melon reveals its known effective uses in medicinal applications, from treating infections to digestive problems and even type 2 diabetes and cancer. Surely eating this wonder fruit from a young age must help prevent one from even getting these sometimes fatal ailments to begin with.