Being in the military you get to travel the world and taste the world. Okinawa’s cuisine is by far the best I’ve had next to Mongolian dishes that I had in Iraq. Now you too can whip up a healthy meal and surprise your friends with a vegetable they probably never tasted. Because goya is an exotic fruit, it may or may not be hard for you to find localy in the States. If you do find some, get ready!

Goya Champuru
serves 4

Ingredients
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large goya cut to 1/16″ slices ( read below )
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, minced
3/4 cup Okinawan shima tofu ( or some sort of tofu )
1/2 block of Spam, cut to 1/16″
3 medium sized eggs, beaten
Dash of soy sauce to flavor
Dash of black pepper
Dash of Tabasco
1 tbsp. salt

Preparation
1. To prepare goya, slice lenghtwise and remove seeds, gently scraping the inside with a spoon to remove the entire core. Chop thinly and place goya into a bowl.
2. Add salt to the chopped goya and gently massage until thoroughly coated ( this will temper the bitterness )
3. Add cold water and let sit for 15-30 minutues.
4. After soaking, rinse salt completely off and set goya aside.
5. Using high heat, saute oil, garlic, onions, and Spam. Cook until garlic and onions become semi-translucent, then add goya.
6. After goya is tender, crumble tofu into the mix and infuse with soy sause, pepper, and Tabasco until the mixture reaches the desired flavor.
7. Add eggs and toss mixture until thoroughly coated-remembering not to over-cook.

Hiromi and I plan on making the dish soon so when we do, be ready for some photographs!
Hat tip: Okinawa Living Magazine, Issue 101 - July 2006