When the temperature and humidity soar, it doesn’t matter where you live, cold food is a must to chill out. If you’re in Spain, there is gazpacho, in France, there are Nicois salads, and in Japan, they have Hiyashi Chukka, a cold and savory noodle dish.
Hiyashi Chukka is different than cold buckwheat or soba noodles because it’s made from the same noodles as Japanese ramen. Translating literally to “Cold Chinese style”, it’s made from cooked and chilled ramen noodles and topped with a thinly sliced omelet, cucumber, ham, and other customizable toppings. To tie everything together, it’s served with a soy sauce-based tare dressing that is sweet, savory, nutty, and acidic.
Refreshing, chewy, crisp, crunchy, sweet, and savory. With so many textures and flavors it's a dish that really should have more notoriety at Japanese restaurants here in the States! Luckily it’s pretty easy to make at home, so let's get into it!
It starts with the soy-based tare sauce, which is a lightly reduced Japanese flavoring sauce. Tare is one of the main flavorings in Yakitori grilled skewers, so some of you might already be familiar with it! In a small saucepot, you’ll combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, chicken stock, salt, sugar, and toasted sesame oil. Bring to a boil over medium heat and place in the ice bath to allow it to cool. It couldn’t be a cold dish if you served it with warm sauce!
Next is to prepare the omelet strips. You’ll make them one at a time by beating one egg in a small bowl. Heat a splash of sesame oil in a small non-stick skillet and swirl in the egg to spread it all over so it resembles a crepe. Cook for 30 seconds and flip, cooking for another 15 seconds, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining eggs, stacking them on top of each other. Slice them into thin strips with your favorite Forge To Table Knife and set aside.
Noodles are on the chopping block next, with fresh-frozen ramen noodles as your best bet. However, there are lots of options out there such as high-quality dried ramen noodles such as Shun or if you can find them, freshly made ramen noodles. You’ll want to cook them until chewy but then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and chill them out.
Once you have these three elements ready, all that’s left is to top it off! We used a variety of freshly sliced vegetables like radish, cucumber, and tomato which will be great to soak up the tare sauce. Then instead of traditional sliced ham, we went for prosciutto, because we’re F A N C Y. Then we top it with toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions.
Some other topping ideas include imitation crab, avocado, blanched bean sprouts, boiled egg, canned tuna, chashu, cooked shrimp, fried firm tofu, shredded rotisserie chicken, lettuce, shredded nori, or sauteed mushrooms. This dish can easily be made vegan/vegetarian by substituting the toppings for more accessible others.
Once you have your toppings ready, all you have to do is divide the noodles, toppings, and tare sauce! It is that simple. Great for meal prep, work lunches, or just an easy dinner on a hot summer night! Enjoy.
Hiyashi Chukka (Cold Ramen Noodle Salad)
When the height of the summer seems insurmountable, cool down with some flavorful and refreshing cold ramen noodles, aka Hiyashi Chukka. Keep it chill and serve it with a variety of colorful toppings, a savory tare sauce, and plenty of crunchy scallions!
Recipe and Photography by Sam Burgess
Forge To Table Knives
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup rice vinegar
½ cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
4 each eggs
4 packages of high-quality ramen noodles
4 ounces easter egg radishes, sliced
8 ounces persian cucumber, sliced
10 ounces rainbow cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 ounces prosciutto, torn
4 each scallions, sliced on a bias
4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
DRESSING. In a small saucepot, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, chicken stock, salt, sugar, and one teaspoon of toasted sesame oil. Bring to a boil over medium heat and place in the ice bath to allow it to cool.
OMELET STRIPS. Prepare omelet strips one at a time by beating one egg well. Heat ¼ teaspoon of the sesame oil in a small non-stick skillet. Add the egg and move it around to spread it all over so it resembles a crepe. Cook for 30 seconds and flip, cooking for another 15 seconds, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining eggs, stacking them on top of each other. Slice them into thin strips and set aside.
NOODLES. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add ramen noodles, stir to break them up, and cook until cooked through but not mushy, or according to package instructions. Drain noodles in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
SERVE. Divide the cold ramen noodles into 4 bowls. Top with one-fourth of the prosciutto, cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions, and egg. Evenly divide the dressing between the four bowls and pour over the ingredients in each bowl. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds. Mix well before eating, and enjoy!
Chef’s Notes:
Traditionally, this dish uses sliced ham instead of prosciutto, but we were feeling fanciful! Feel free to substitute the prosciutto for 1 ounce of ham per dish.
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