Today’s recipe is a vegetarian salad with bitter melon, or sometimes called bitter gourd. In Japanese this vegetable is called Goya (ゴーヤ) or Nigauri (にがうり).
The bitter melon is dressed with tofu and sesame sauce, and it’s not only healthy and light but also delicious! The tofu and sesame flavor makes the “bitterness” very gentle and mild, so if you are not a fan of bitter melon this recipe could change your mind.
When I was growing up in Japan, bitter melon wasn’t a common vegetable except for Okinawa and Kyushu island. Because of the recent popularity of Okinawan food, bitter melon is now available throughout the Japan.
Goya Champuru, a stir fry dish with goya (bitter melon), egg, tofu and pork/spam, has become one of the most popular Okinawan dishes that are featured on the TV cooking shows and are available at restaurants in the main land.
Because my mom didn’t cook this vegetable, I was a late bloomer. After I moved to the U.S., I had seen this interesting vegetable all the time at Asian markets and one day I decided to buy one to cook.
My first attempt with bitter melon wasn’t good. I can’t recall how I prepared it but all I remember was the unique bitterness of this vegetable. I have been occasionally eating bitter melon dishes at Chinese restaurants, but until recently I didn’t try cooking it again.
I gave another try last year after a few of my readers requested a recipe using bitter melon (thank you!). This time I knew how I wanted to prepare – shiraae style.
When tofu is mashed and mixed with sesame seeds and other condiments, the dressing or sauce is called shiraae (白和え). The nutty tofu flavor is exceptionally wonderful with fresh green vegetable.
There are many variations of shiraae too, depending on what kind of condiments you want to add. I used miso for my Green Bean Shiraae recipe and used sesame oil for this recipe to increase more nutty flavor.
Hope you enjoy bitter melon and nutty tofu shiraae combination!
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Bitter Melon Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz bitter melon (bitter gourd or goya) (1 piece)
- 14 oz medium-firm tofu (momen dofu) (1 block)
Seasonings:
- 1 knob ginger (1 inch, 2.5 cm)
- 4 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Open the tofu package and drain the tofu.
- Cut the bitter melon in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with spoon.
- Cut the bitter melon into ⅛ inch (3 mm) pieces (or thinner, if you prefer).
- Cook the bitter melon in the salted boiling water for 3-5 minutes (depending on your liking) and drain well.
- Soak the bitter melon in cold water for 5 minutes, then drain really well. You can use a clean kitchen towel to dry.
- Meanwhile, wrap the tofu with a paper towel on top of a large plate. Microwave the tofu for 2 minutes (1000 Watt) to further drain the water. Discard the excess water and let it cool.
- Grate the ginger to have about 1 tsp including juice.
- Grind the roasted white sesame seeds well. You can leave some sesame seeds ungrounded for texture.
- Combine all the seasoning ingredients in a large bowl and mix all together.
- Add the cooled tofu and bitter melon to the bowl.
- Mix all together. You can serve at room temperature or you can chill for half an hour before serving.
To Store
- Tofu continues to release moisture so I recommend serving on the same day and not keeping it.
I just made this dish as part of my lunch and it is so delicious. This is my first time making bitter melon this way. The sesame flavor pairs so well with the bitter melon. I will be making this again. Thank you for another great recipe.
Hi Karrie, We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this dish!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback.😊
Hi Nami,
I’ve been using your site for a while and I just thought I’d leave a comment. I absolutely love this site! Every recipe I’ve tried has been great and it is really helping me utilize otherwise unfamiliar Japanese produce. It’s so nice to have a reliable English reference.
Also, I’m completely in love with this Goya Shiraae!! Whenever I get Goya I usually make your Champuru, but it’s so hot in Tokyo now that I decided to try a salad. My new go to Goya recipe!
Hi Toki! Aww thank you so much for your sweet comment! And you’re in Tokyo! It’s been so hot lately… this salad is definitely a nice change in your goya repertoire. 🙂
I’m really happy to hear you like my recipes and thank you for trying them! Stay cool…
I’m doing PT for my shoulder. My knee’s healing fine. You don’t realize how much your shoulder interacts with the rest of your body…biomechanics. My range of motion in my shoulder is about 60%. Getting there. I actually went to the ER twice, was admitted to the hospital, discharged and then into a physical rehab facility (that place was AWFUL!). That was about 2 weeks of my life. When I decided to go home, I couldn’t use my arm so had to live on delivery food. I live alone with no family close by and had to have a pet sitter take care of my kitties. Not a pleasant time of my life. I will advise…DON”T EVER BREAK YOUR SHOULDER!
Oh no, so sorry to hear that. I had my shoulder injured during skiing and went to PT for a month after my injury. Mine was nearly as bad as yours, and I’m sorry to hear you had to go through difficult time. 🙁 Hope you will gain the rest of 40% recovery soon! Hang in there and take good care.