hiyashi chuka
(cold ramen)
My mom used to make this all the time when I was little! It’s super easy to assemble since most of the ingredients are already cooked/raw. Most asian grocery stores also sell this with the sauce in a package (similar to instant ramen) but we’ve provided a homemade sauce in case you want something more “natural”. This took less than 20 minutes to assemble, perfect when the heat is dragging you down in the summer.
Ingredients
Sesame Sauce
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
3 Tbsp chicken stock/dashi
3 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp rice vinegar
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1 package ramen noodles (found in the refrigerated section), cooked through and blanched in ice cold water
1 cucumber, julienned
1 egg omelette, julienned
1 slices Japanese ham, julienned
Kimchi
1 crabstick
1 bunch blanched spinach
Sesame Seeds
Grind the sesame seeds in a suribachi/mortar and pestle/food processor. You can also use tahini if you don’t own these tools.
Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well and adjust the seasoning to taste. It should be bright, a touch spicy, and a little salty. You’ll want this to be on the aggressive side because you’ll be seasoning a lot of neutral ingredients like noodles and cucumbers.
To assemble, arrange the noodles and garnish on a plate and drizzle the sauce on top.