Authentic Champon Recipe
Nagasaki, Japan
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Introduction & history
Typical for the Japanese city of Nagasaki, champon is a rich, filling noodle dish with pork, seafood, and vegetables simmered in a savory broth. Generally, it belongs in the ramen dish family, and the main element which differentiates it from ramen is the fact that all the ingredients are cooked in the same pot or wok. The first step is frying the ingredients in lard — generally, the meat, cabbage, carrots, and onions are fried first, followed by more delicate ingredients such as seafood, sprouts, and mushrooms. Then, a stock seasoned with soy sauce, mirin, and sake is poured in, and the ingredients are simmered shortly before the finishing touch — the addition of champon noodles. Champon is served piping hot in deep serving bowls, and has several regional varieties. The cities of Tottori and Amagasaki season it with extra soy sauce, in Akita miso soup is used instead of broth, while in the city of Okinawa topping includes a scrambled egg, and ... Read more
Cooking tips
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method
Typically, the preparation of champon starts with heating the lard in a wok, but modern recipes often substitute it with oil. Pork and vegetables such as carrots, onion, and cabbage are fried first, and are followed by more tender ones such as seafood, mushrooms and spring onions. -
broth
Traditional champon calls for a broth made from chicken and pork bones, which gives it a slightly milky appearance. Nowadays, chicken or fish stock is more common, and it can be enhanced with bonto flakes which give the dish a specific umami flavor. Sometimes, a cup of milk is added to imitate the appearance of the authentic champon as well as for extra body and flavor to the dish. -
kamaboko
Many champon recipes call for sliced kamaboko. Kamaboko is cured fish cake, similar to surimi, which often has a bright pink outside and a white inside. Sliced into thin pieces, kamaboko gives a pop of color and a mild fish flavor to champon. -
mushrooms
Various types of Japanese mushrooms can be used for champon. Besides shiitake, some recipes call for nutty-tasting maitake, eryngii — also known as king oyster mushhrooms, mild-flavored shimeji, or kikurage — wood ear mushrooms of dark color and crunchy texture. -
noodles
Champon is usually made with traditional champon noodles, which are wider and thicker compared to the ones used for ramen. Still, ramen noodles can be a satisfying substitute, just like the udon noodles. Unlike ramen, champon noodles are cooked together with the rest of the ingredients. They need to be barely cooked through — 2 to 5 minutes will be enough, especially if you use fresh noodles.
Recipe variations
Classic Nagasaki Champon
PREP 10min
COOK 20min
READY IN 30min
The following is the recipe for the original Nagasaki champon with pork, prawns, oysters, and various vegetables. The ingredients are fried in lard and then cooked in chicken stock with champon noodles.
Ingredients
Classic Nagasaki Champon
100 g pork
2 small oysters
40 g prawns
120 g cabbage
1 kikurage (wood ear) mushroom
2 spring onions
80 g onion
40 g kamaboko
120 g bean sprouts
4 tsp lard
1,6 l chicken stock
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sake
1,5 tsp salt
pepper, to taste
4 packs champon noodles
Preparation
Classic Nagasaki Champon
Cut the pork into bite-sized pieces. Wash the oysters with saltwater, remove the shells from the prawns. Cut the cabbage and kikurage mushroom into strips and finely slice the onion, the spring onion, and the kamaboko.
Heat the lard in a wok. Quickly fry the pork, shrimps, onions, and kamaboko, stirring constantly. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil, then season with soy sauce, sake, salt, and pepper.
Add champon noodles, oysters, and bean sprouts and boil until the noodles are cooked. Serve hot.
Other Variations
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