Hiyashi Chuka (Cold Ramen Salad)
Hiyashi Chuka (Cold Ramen Salad)
About this Recipe
Hiyashi chuka is a noodle dish popular in Japan in the summertime, because it’s served refreshingly cold (the name translates to “chilled Chinese,” a reference to the Chinese-style ramen noodles). It’s basically a composed salad — summer vegetables such as cucumber, corn, and tomatoes — on a mound of cold, springy noodles. Traditionally, the dish includes meat such as roast pork or ham and cold chicken, along with slivers of tamagoyaki (omelet), but it’s easy to make this deliciously vegetarian or vegan, highlighting what’s in season. Use whatever fresh vegetables you have.
The Benefits
This dish is a great way to get lots of veggies into your day. The cucumbers, corn, carrots, and tomatoes are full of vitamins, minerals and fiber and antioxidants that help fight oxidative stress. The dressing is full of gut-promoting fermented sauces such as soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar that help improve mood and immune function. Microgreens are rich in sulforaphane which activates our detoxification pathways. The eggs provide a good source of protein and nutrients such as B vitamins and choline that help with fertility and libido.
Note: Fresh ramen noodles are available at select grocery stores and many Asian markets. You can also buy them online, such as at Sun Noodle and Umi Organic.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) mirin
- 1 Tbsp (15) ml water
- 1-inch piece (10 g) fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Cold Ramen Salad
- 8 oz (225 g) fresh ramen noodles
- 2 eggs (optional)
- 1 ear of corn or 6 ears of baby corn, boiled until the kernels are tender (cut from the cob if using regular corn)
- 4 scallions, white and green parts
- 2 ( 120 g) small carrots
- 2 small, firm (Japanese or Persian) cucumbers
- 1 ripe red tomato, seeds removed
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 to 1 cup (50 g) radish sprouts or microgreens
- 1 Tbsp (8 g) sesame seeds
- Spicy Japanese mustard, for serving
Directions
-
Step 1
Mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, water, ginger, and sesame oil in a small bowl and set aside in the refrigerator to chill. -
Step 2
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the ramen noodles, separating them as you carefully lower them into the water. Cook, stirring often, until just al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain the noodles in a strainer, rinsing them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Put the strainer of noodles on a plate in the refrigerator to drain well and chill. -
Step 3
If including egg: In a small bowl, beat 1 egg with a fork. Pour the egg into a nonstick skillet (it should have a lid) and cook over medium-low heat, swirling it around so that it’s a thin even layer. When the bottom is cooked, about 2 minutes, cover the pan with the lid. Cook until the top of the egg is set about 1 minute. Use a rubber spatula to roll the sheet of egg like an omelet and remove it from the pan. Cut the rolled omelet into thin (1/8-inch) strips. Repeat with the other egg. Set aside. -
Step 4
Prepare your vegetables: Cut the kernels from the corn cob and set aside. (For baby corn, leave them whole.) Cut the scallions on a diagonal into very thin slices and set aside. Julienne the carrots and cucumbers into fine matchstick pieces, with a knife or mandoline, and set aside. Cut the tomato into 6 wedges and set aside. Cut the avocado into slices. -
Step 5
Mound half of the ramen noodles in the center of a plate. Arrange half of each of the vegetables — corn, carrots, scallions, cucumbers, tomato, and avocado — and the sliced omelet on top of the noodles. Put half of the radish sprouts on top as garnish and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Repeat for a second plate. Put a little spicy mustard on the edge of each plate. Serve immediately, with the dressing alongside.
About the author
Betty Hallock
More by Betty Hallock
