Originated in China and introduced in Japan in the 50s, Champon (長崎ちゃんぽん) is a popular noodle dish filled with miscellaneous ingredients and a hearty soup. Served piping hot, the contrasting textures and flavors and the broth are what one needs to lift the mood or kick a cold. It is absolutely delicious and heartwarming.
What is Champon?
Champon (ちゃんぽん) is a noodle soup dish consisting of pork, seafood, and vegetables served on top of the noodles. The owner of a Chinese restaurant Shikairō (四海楼) in Nagasaki first created this dish based on a Chinese dish tonniishiimen (湯肉絲麵). He served this quick, cheap, fulfilling dish to the Chinese international students during Meiji Period. Since then this dish became a regional dish in Nagasaki. It’s often called Nagasaki Champon (長崎ちゃんぽん) and loved by people all over Japan. You can find Nagasaki Champon specialty restaurants like Linger Hut (リンガーハット) throughout Japan and outside the country. There is also Linger Hut in San Jose here in California. If you’re curious about the word Champon, which definitely doesn’t sound Japanese, one theory is that the word was derived from Hokkien word chia̍h-pn̄g (食飯), which means “to eat a meal”. Another theory is that the word was derived from Malay or Indonesian word champur, which means “mixed”.
Ingredients for Champon
1. Champon Noodles
A big noodle company Myojo (明星) has a noodle package specific for Nagasaki Champon. It comes with 2 servings of noodles and soup base. I usually make my own soup so I only use the noodles and toss away the MSG-packed soup base.
For those who can’t access this noodle package at Japanese or Asian grocery stores, you can use other types of fresh ramen noodles, dried ramen noodles, or Chinese noodles that have similar thickness to spaghetti noodles.
2. Soup Base
Typically the soup base for champon is made of the combination of pork and chicken broth/stock. I don’t usually have pork bone/stock handy, so for this recipe, I use the combination of chicken broth and dashi which yields a bit lighter broth. When I make pork broth from Rafute or Okinawa Soba, I try to make Champon the next day using the leftover pork broth. It really gives a flavorful soup for the noodles and I highly recommend!
You can follow my homemade chicken stock recipe here. By the way, the addition of milk might surprise you in this recipe. However, it is what gives the creamy color and a light sweetness of the Nagasaki Champon soup.
3. Toppings
Champon toppings usually include pork belly slices, seafood such as shrimp, squid, clams, and all kinds of vegetables, typically cabbage, onion, carrots, snow peas, bean sprouts, etc. You don’t have to follow my recipe to a T by using the exact ingredients. Consider my list as suggestions. The ultimate goal is to create a bowl of noodles with colors, body, depth and contrast. Though keep in mind that root vegetables, if you use any, need to be thinly sliced or pre-cook ahead of time, since all the ingredients must be stir fried in a quick manner.
Champon Noodles on Kodoku no Gurume
I was inspired to make this hot noodle recipe after watching the popular Japanese TV drama – Kodoku no Gurume (孤独のグルメ) [Season 6: Episode 7]. The protagonist Gorō-san had a bowl of Champon at Nagasaki Hanten (長崎飯店) in Shibuya. It looked SO DELICIOUS that I had to share my version. For those of you who are not familiar with Kodoku no Gurume, the main character Gorō is a Japanese salaryman who is in sales. As a salesperson, Gorō travels across Japan for his work and on each business trip he visits various restaurants and street booths to sample the local cuisine. Each chapter features a different place and dish.
Whether you have access to Kodoku no Gurume or not, I want to share all the delicious foods the main character Gorō-san enjoyed in the show and I hope you would join me in cooking up these dishes.
Kodoku no Gurume Recipes Series on Just One Cookbook
Champon Kushikatsu (Kushiage) Pan Fried Ginger Pork Belly Pickled Tomatoes
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