Chanpurū
Photo: TARUMI Kengo
Stir-fry1; one of the all-star Okinawan daily dishes. Tôfu is a must. It is cooked with chopped pork and one or two kinds of vegetables.
Depending on the vegetables used, it may be called gōyā (bitter melon) chanpurū, nābērā (luffa) chanpurū, etc. You may at first hesitate at the taste of bitter melon or luffa, but it is just delicious. The thick and firm Okinawan tôfu is perfect for a stir-fry. The paired gōyā chanpurū and āsa (sea lettuce) soup will give you the energy to survive the Okinawan scorching summer.
I ate chanpurū almost every day over the 50-day shoot in Ishigaki island for the movie Umi Sora Sango no Ītsutae directed by Shiina Makoto. But I never got tired of it. On the contrary, thanks to this chanpurū, I was able to pull through the filming days on the burning Ishigaki.
Editor’s Note:
- Originally an Okinawan term that meant “jumbled up.” Stir-fry is called chanpurū because it jumbles up and stir fry various ingredients.
