Nabera n'bushi is made from young nabera that are stir-fried and then simmered with miso. The dish is topped with a little bit of Okinawa-style hot sauce called koregusu (コーレーグースー). Koregusu is made from awamori (a strong drink resembling vodka) and hot peppers.

Nabera

Nabera (ナーベーラー) or hechima (へちま) is a vegetable belonging to the luffa gourd family. The young gourds are used in stir-fries and sauteed/simmered dishes in Okinawa. (Older, mature luffa gourds are best known as the luffa sponges that are used for the bath.) The young gourds are quite good when simmered with miso (bean paste).

Nabera is popular in Okinawa but it is rather difficult to find fresh nabera in supermarkets in other parts of Japan. Nabera has a unique taste that is hard to describe. I guess it tastes kind of "earthy" - that sounds weird but it actually reminds me of the hot, summery, sunshiny days in Okinawa.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 young nabera
• 1 package firm tofu
  (Okinawa-style shima-dofu is best, but regular firm tofu can be used instead)
• 1/2 cup dashi (Japanese soup stock)
• 1 tablespoon miso (Japanese bean paste)
  
• 1 egg
• salad oil
• koregusu (コーレーグースー)

Directions

1. Wash the nabera and trim off the ends
2. Peel off the hard skin using a vegetable peeler
   (it is OK to leave a little peel on the gourd because it adds texture)
3. Cut the nabera into slices about 1cm thick
   
   
   
   
4. Wrap the tofu in paper towels to absorb some of the excess liquid. If you want to remove even more water from the tofu, heat the wrapped tofu in the microwave for about 30+ seconds, or place a plate and weight on top of the tofu and let sit until the water is drained a little more (be careful not to use too heavy a weight or the tofu will lose its shape)
5. Break the tofu into large chunks
   (Break the tofu by hand instead of cutting it. The rough edges of the hand-broken pieces absorb the flavor better.)
6. Lightly beat the egg in a separate bowl
7. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a wok
   
8. Stir-fry the nabera until the pieces are a light golden color
9. Add the tofu to the wok and stir fry until the tofu is heated
10. Lower the heat
11. Add the dashi and the miso and stir until the miso is dissolved
12. Simmer until some of the liquid evaporates
13. Gently mix in the egg and continue heating until the egg just thickens the sauce a little
    
14. Remove from heat and arrange on a plate
15. Serve with a little koregusu

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