Okinawa-Style Fu Champuru

Champuru on a large plate with a scoop,of,rice on the side. The rice is topped with mitsuba leaves.

Chanpuru is a stir-fried combination of ingredients easy to find locally in Okinawa. Champuru usually features a local ingredient such as “Goya’ (bitter melon), Mung Beans or Fu (wheat gluten). Fu is a healthy substitute for meat and is often used in vegan recipes.

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Okinawa-Style Fu Champuru Is a local dish from Okinawa Island in Southern Japan. In the Okinawan dialect, chanpuru means “a mix of things”.

I took a trip with my family to Okinawa and was impressed by the cooking. The food was simple and featured many local ingredients prepared in interesting ways. Okinawa noodles, Shima (Island) tofu, Goya (bitter melon), awamori (red liquor) were all used in local cooking, and Champuru was a wonderful way to synthesize many ingredients into a delicious meal.

As a dish, champuru is a stir-fried combination of ingredients easy to find locally in Okinawa and other Ryukyu islands. It comes in many varieties (there are probably as many recipes as there are households on the islands), but chanpuru typically includes eggs, vegetables, and a protein.

The ingredients differ but the concept of chanpuru is the same – it’s a mixture of various ingredients, usually whatever you happen to have around the home. The concept of champuru is used to describe the Okinawa and Ryukyu island culture itself – since it’s truly a unique mix of Japanese, Chinese, and US influences.

In Okinawan cooking, Fu is sometimes used as a meat substitute. Fu, also known in some countries as “seitan”, is made from wheat gluten. Fu can be purchased in dried sheets that can be sliced up and rehydrated using egg, water or milk. It has a “meaty” texture and when flavored properly makes a healthy vegan alternative to chicken or pork.

Dry fu sliced into 1 cm wide strips

When there is no Fu available, Okinawa-Style Fu Champuru can be made with other proteins such as tofu, chicken or beef, or with Goya (bitter melon) or mung beans. The sauce, which is made with cooking sake and dashi flakes is absolutely incredible.

Okinawa-Style Fu Champuru

This simple stir fry uses local Okinawa ingredients, but almost any mix of meat and vegetables can be used. If you cannot find fu I’m the store look for it other Luther names such as “wheat meat” or seitan. And you can always substitute chicken, pork, beef, or even spam for a delicious and unique taste. I use umami spice to give the fu a meatier texture- you can use dashi flakes or MSG beaten into the eggs to give the fu the same texture and umami flavor.

PREP	COOKING	YIELD
30 mins	15 mins	Serves 4

PREP	30 mins
COOKING	15 mins
YIELD	Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 30g package of Fu (dry wheat gluten)
1/2 head green cabbage
1 onion
1 carrot
2 TBSP sesame oil
3 TBSP soy sauce
1/4 cup cooking sake
4 eggs
1 tsp umami seasoning
1 package dashi flakes
1 2.5g package of katsuobushi (Bonito flakes)
1 1/2 cups water

Ingredients for Fu Champuru laid out on a board

Instructions:

Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl and add in the umami seasoning. Slice the fu into 2 cm slices.

Dry fu sliced into 1 cm wide strips

Soak in the egg batter for 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally. The fu will soak up the batter and soften.

The fu softening in egg batter

While waiting for the fu, chop the cabbage. Peel and slice the carrot. Peel and chop the onion.
Once the fu is softened, heat the sesame oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the fu. Sauté for about 2 minutes on each side.

Fu cooking in a pan

Add the carrot and onion and 1/2 cup of water and sauté for about 5 minutes until tender.
Add the cabbage and a cup of water, stir well and cover for 5 minutes.

Fu Champuru with veggies

Stir in the soy sauce, sake and dashi flakes. Sauté for 5 more minutes until the stir fry is tender and well mixed.
Top with the katsuobushi.

Katsuobushi on Champuru

Serve with white rice.

Fu Champuru On a plate with a scoop of white rice

Notes:

With the exception of the egg and the katsuobushi, this dish is vegetarian friendly. For a vegan dish, substitute a vegan egg substitute like “JustEggs” or 1 1/4 cups of Kombu Dashi in place of the 4 eggs. You can omit the katsuobushi altogether and top with chopped green onion instead.
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days.

Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.

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Jay H