During the summer, one of my favorite dishes that my mother would make me as a child was hiyashi chuka, or hiyashi ramen as they call it in Hokkaido. It’s full of colorful toppings and is popular with grown ups and kids both. Cold ramen noodles are tossed with a homemade soy vinaigrette and topped with fresh cucumber, omelette strips, sliced ham. In the heat of summer, nothing is better than cooling down with a plate of this hiyashi chuka!
What Is Hiyashi Chuka
Hiyashi chuka (or hiyashi ramen) is a Japanese cold noodle dish that features chilled ramen noodles and colorful toppings. Popular throughout Japan during the summer, you will see hiyashi chuka pop up on restaurant menus as the temperatures soar.
This dish goes by many names- hiyashi chuka, hiyashi ramen, or reimen, but they all mean chilled noodles or chilled ramen!
The base is always made using hiyashi chuka noodles, which are ramen noodles that are treated to be served cold. Hiyashi chuka comes with a wide variety of toppings but the most popular are cucumbers, omelette strips, and some type of protein like ham, chicken or seafood.
What Toppings Can I Use For Hiyashi Chuka
Hiyashi chuka is traditionally topped with cucumbers, omelette strips, fresh tomatoes and some type of protein, like shredded chicken, or sliced ham. But the beauty of this dish is how easily you can switch it up! Here are some other toppings you can try:
- Sliced extra firm tofu
- Cooked shrimp
- Shredded imitation crab
- Blanched bean sprouts
- Sweet corn
- Microgreens or mizuna
- Shredded lettuce
- Wakame seaweed
- Shredded nori sheets
- Shredded artichoke hearts or hearts of palm (great vegan option)
There are also different dressings you can use for hiyashi chuka. This recipe shows you how to make a soy based dressing, but you can also use a creamy sesame dressing too which is amazing with chicken, tomatoes and mizuna!
What Noodles To Use For Hiyashi Chuka
Hiyashi chuka uses fresh ramen noodles designed for serving cold. You can find these noodles in any well-stocked grocery store and they usually come frozen. My favorite brand to use is Myojo Cold Ramen noodles.
If you can’t find fresh ramen noodles, you can always try dried ramen noodles as well. I would recommend getting authentic ramen noodles instead of the cheap instant packages since the texture will be like night and day. J-Basket brand dried Japanese ramen has a great texture for dried ramen and have the chewy texture that authentic ramen has.
How To Serve Hiyashi Chuka
Since hiyashi chuka is served cold, I recommend using a large plate or shallow bowl that’s been chilled in the freezer beforehand. It helps to keep the noodles cold, as well as providing enough space to mix everything together.
It’s also ideal to serve the dressing on the side so that everyone can pour it over their hiyashi chuka when they are ready to eat. Pouring it too soon can make the cucumbers lose their crunch too fast.
Tips For The Best Hiyashi Chuka
- Always rinse the noodles under cold water to remove excess starch and improve the texture.
- Don’t overcook the noodles! Chuka noodles are processed differently and can become gummy if overcooked.
- Keep your toppings chilled before serving.
- Serve the dressing on the side, so everyone can add just the right amount to their taste!
Hiyashi Chuka (Cold Japanese Ramen)
INGREDIENTS
- 2 servings hiyashi chuka noodles (6oz each)
- ½ English cucumber
- 6 thin slices of deli ham
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- pickled red ginger (beni shyoga) optional
For the Soy Dressing
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ⅓ cup soy sauce (I’m always and forever using Kikkoman brand)
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- a few drops of chili oil, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Start by making the sauce. In a mixing bowl, combine the hot water and sugar. Whisk until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Add in the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and chili oil if you desire. Whisk to combine.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate until serving time.
- Next, make the thin egg crepe. Whisk the eggs, sugar, and water together until well combined.
- In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering.
- Pour in the egg mixture and quickly turn the pan to coat the bottom. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the top is set.
- Once the top of the egg is set, flip it over and cook the other side for another 1 minute or so until cooked. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Pat a paper towel on it to absorb any extra oil.
- While the egg crepe is cooling, diagonally slice the cucumber so you have elongated oval slices. Then, finely julienne those oval slices to get thin strips. Set side.
- Lay the ham slices so they are stacked together. Finely julienne the ham into thin strips.
- Thinly slice the egg crepe into julienne slices.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the hiyashi chuka noodles and separate them in the water using chopticks or tongs. Cook for 2-3 minutes until al dente. (I normally will take them off the heat in the last minute- they cook very fast!)
- Drain the noodles in a colander and immediately rinse with cold running water. (Tip: I like to prepare a bowl of ice-water to dip my rinsed noodles in- totally optional but it chills them faster!)
- Divide the drained noodles among serving dishes. Arrange the toppings onto each plate and garnish with the pickled ginger, if desired. Serve with the chilled dressing on the side. Enjoy!
If love noodles, try these other yummy recipes:
Hiyashi Chuka (Japanese Cold Ramen)
Ingredients
- 2 servings hiyashi chuka noodles (6oz each)
- ½ English cucumber
- 6 thin slices of deli ham
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- pickled red ginger (beni shyoga) optional
For the Soy Dressing
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- a few drops of chili oil, optional
Instructions
- Start by making the sauce. In a mixing bowl, combine the hot water and sugar. Whisk until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Add in the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and chili oil if you desire. Whisk to combine.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate until serving time.
- Next, make the thin egg crepe. Whisk the eggs, sugar, and water together until well combined.
- In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering.
- Pour in the egg mixture and quickly turn the pan to coat the bottom. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the top is set.
- Once the top of the egg is set, flip it over and cook the other side for another 1 minute or so until cooked. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Pat a paper towel on it to absorb any extra oil.
- While the egg crepe is cooling, diagonally slice the cucumber so you have elongated oval slices. Then, finely julienne those oval slices to get thin strips. Set side.
- Lay the ham slices so they are stacked together. Finely julienne the ham into thin strips.
- Thinly slice the egg crepe into julienne slices.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the hiyashi chuka noodles and separate them in the water using chopticks or tongs. Cook for 2-3 minutes until al dente. (I normally will take them off the heat in the last minute- they cook very fast!)
- Drain the noodles in a colander and immediately rinse with cold running water. (Tip: I like to prepare a bowl of ice-water to dip my rinsed noodles in- totally optional but it chills them faster!)
- Divide the drained noodles among serving dishes. Arrange the toppings onto each plate and garnish with the pickled ginger, if desired. Serve with the chilled dressing on the side. Enjoy!
