Champon (Chanpon)
Overview
Champon is the famous noodle soup of Nagasaki, on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Thick, springy wheat noodles are cooked right in the broth, which is a cloudy, milky stock made from pork and chicken bones. Slices of pork, squid, prawns and pink-and-white kamaboko fish cake are stir-fried in a wok with plenty of cabbage, bean sprouts, onion and carrot, then the hot broth is poured over and the noodles go in. The result is a big, filling bowl with a gentle, savoury flavour and a lot of crunchy vegetables. It is sold all over Nagasaki and by restaurant chains across Japan.
History
Champon was created in 1899 by Chen Pingshun, a Chinese man from Fujian who ran a restaurant called Shikairō in Nagasaki. He wanted to give poor Chinese students in the city a cheap, nourishing meal, so he used leftover meat, seafood and vegetables with noodles in a rich broth, in the style of Fujian noodle soups. Nagasaki had long been Japan's main port for trade with China, and the dish soon became a symbol of the city.
Main ingredients
Thick wheat noodles, pork, squid and prawns, cabbage, bean sprouts, kamaboko fish cake. The soup is built on pork and chicken bone broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Pork soups · Fish and seafood soups · Noodle soups · Cabbage soups · More soups from Japan
Recipe
Method
- 1
Stir-fry the pork in oil in a wok, then add the squid, prawns and kamaboko.
- 22 min
Add the cabbage, onion, carrot and bean sprouts and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- 3
Pour in the stock and milk, season and bring to the boil.
- 43 min
Add the noodles and simmer for 3 minutes, then serve in deep bowls.
- ✓
Serve. About 45 min from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
