Summer in Japan is all about noodles! Cold, refreshing and packed with a variety of fresh vegetables, slices of ham and egg crepe served on top of chewy ramen noodles and served in a zingy homemade sauce, this hiyashi chuka is delicious and ready in just 20 minutes!
Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Sudachi Recipes earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. See disclaimer for more info.
Jump to:
Japanese Summer Dishes = Noodles!
Summer in Japan is a extremely hot and humid time of year. Whether you like the extreme weather or not, we have many seasonal dishes to look forward to!
Noodles are the perfect summer dish. They're easy to make, don't require hours in the kitchen and can be eaten cold. Here are a few dishes that make Japanese people instantly think "summer"!
- Somen (Thin noodles with dipping sauce)
- Zaru udon (Thick udon noodles with dipping sauce)
- Zaru soba (Buckwheat noodles with dipping sauce)
- Hiyashi chuka (Chinese style noodles with meat, vegetables and sauce)
These are the most iconic summer noodle dishes!
What is Hiyashi Chuka?
Hiyashi Chuka is one of the most popular summer noodle dishes in Japan! It's made with ramen style noodles served in a cold, refreshing sauce. It is then topped with meat, vegetables and a type of egg crepe called "kinshi tamago".
The toppings are usually cut into thin strips (julienne) and then arranged on top. It's a colourful dish with beautiful presentation!
It's important to mix well before eating to ensure all the ingredients are coated in the sauce that sits at the bottom of the dish.
Seasonal Ingredients
While Somen and Zaru Udon tend to be very basic with just noodles and dipping sauce, Hiyashi Chuka is always extremely colourful and served with a refreshing selection of ingredients.
Typical ingredients are:
- Egg (fried, boiled or egg crepe)
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Carrots
- Meat (Usually ham, but chicken, chashu, crab sticks, shrimps or salmon can be used)
The vegetables used in this dish are mostly seasonal which makes the dish even more attractive in summer!
"Kinshi Tamago" Shredded Egg
Hiyashi Chuka is usually served with "kinshi tamago" (錦糸卵), a thin egg crepe that has been cut into thin strips. It almost looks like noodles! They add good colour and texture to the dish.
To make the best kinshi tamago, you will need a sieve to remove any lumps and a non-stick frying pan to ensure the thin layer of egg doesn't stick and break when cooking.
Noodles
One of the characteristics of hiyashi chuka is the use of ramen style noodles called "chukamen" (中華麺). Chukamen are a type of Chinese style noodle made from wheat flour, salt water and an alkaline solution called "kansui" which gives them their distinctive yellow colour.
Chukamen are firm and chewy. While they are recognised as "ramen noodles", they're also a key ingredient for yakisoba and hiyashi chuka.
What is "Chuka"?
The word "chuka" (中華) usually means "Chinese food" in Japanese, so many people are under the impression that hiyashi chuka is a Chinese dish.
Well actually, "chuka" simply refers to the ramen noodles used in the dish. Hiyashi chuka is a Japanese dish for sure!
Although this dish is usually made with ramen style noodles, it also works great with udon or even spaghetti. So don't worry too much if you can't find fresh ramen noodles! (If you want to make your own ramen noodles, try my ramen noodle hack with spaghetti!)
Hiyashi Chuka Sauce (Tare)
Hiyashi chuka's flavour comes from being served in a sauce we call "tare". The noodles sit in the sauce while the other ingredients are placed on top.
It's important to mix hiyashi chuka well before eating, this will ensure the flavour is carried throughout the dish.
There are two common types of tare.
Basic VS Sesame
Two of the most popular sauces for Hiyashi Chuka would be
- Basic (Soy sauce and Rice vinegar base)
- Sesame (Soy sauce and White sesame base)
Basic sauce is thinner, lighter and more refreshing, while sesame sauce has a thick and rich flavour.
In this recipe, I'm going to make a basic sauce because I find it more refreshing in summer. It's also quick and easy to make!
In the Tokai area, where I'm from, we often drizzle it with Japanese mayonnaise and I personally like to add a drizzle of sesame based chili oil to give it a little kick.
Watch our video for how to make homemade Hiyashi Chuka
Printable recipe
Hiyashi Chuka (冷やし中華) Cold Ramen Noodle Salad
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 portions
Description
How to make summery chilled ramen salad "Hiyashi Chuka" topped with seasonal vegetables, ham and "kinshi tamago" (shredded egg crepe) served in a simple, refreshing, homemade sauce!
Ingredients
Hiyashi Chuka Sauce
- 50ml tbsp cold water (approx 3 ½ tbsp)
- 50ml tbsp soy sauce
- 50ml tbsp rice vinegar
- 15g sugar (1 tbsp)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 pinch of black pepper
Hiyashi Chuka
- 1 Egg
- 1 Pinch salt
- Drizzle of oil
- ½ Cucumber
- ½ Tomato
- ¼ Carrot
- 20g Ham
- 200g Chilled ramen style noodles (100g if using dry noodles)
- Water for boiling
- 2-3 Ice cubes
- Mayonnaise (optional)
- Chili oil (optional)
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- First, make the sauce by taking a small jug and adding 50 ml of cold water, 50ml of soy sauce, 50ml of rice vinegar, 15g of sugar, 1tsp of sesame oil and a pinch of black pepper. Mix well until the sugar is dissolved and store in the fridge until it's time to dish up.
Kinshi Tamago (Shredded Egg)
-
- First, crack one egg into a bowl with a pinch of salt and whisk well.
- Pour the whisked egg into a sieve over another bowl and use a spoon to help it pass through.
- Heat a small non-stick frying pan on a medium-low setting and add a small drizzle of oil. Use a paper towel to spread the oil around the pan and remove the excess.
- Pour the egg into the pan and swirl it around, coating the bottom of the pan with an even layer.
- Cook until the egg is 80% done (slightly soft on the surface) and remove from the heat.
- Peel the egg out of the pan and transfer it to a chopping board.
- Roll the egg up and cut into slices, about 2mm in thickness.
- First, crack one egg into a bowl with a pinch of salt and whisk well.
Hiyashi Chuka
- Peel quarter of a carrot and cut into thin strips, about 2mm thick.
- Cut the cucumber in diagonal slices and then cut each slice into 2mm strips.
- Slice the ham into 2mm strips and thinly slice half a tomato.
- Boil the ramen noodles (follow the instructions on the packaging).
- Once the noodles are cooked, drain the water by pouring them into a colander. Run the noodles under cold water and add a couple of ice cubes to make them extra cold.
- Once chilled, divide the noodles onto two serving plates.
- Lay the strips of ham, kinshi tamago and vegetables over the top of the noodles.
- Pour the sauce over the dish.
- You can drizzle this dish with mayonnaise, chili oil or top with pickled ginger/sesame seeds. (optional)
- Mix well and enjoy!
Notes
If you can't get ramen style noodles, check out our ramen hack, how to make ramen noodles using spaghetti.
If you want to make this dish vegetarian, you can always omit the ham/egg and replace them with vegetarian alternatives.
If you don't want to use ham, it's also common to use chicken, pork chashu, shrimp, imitation crab or sushi grade salmon.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Noodles
- Method: Cutting
- Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: Hiyashi Chuka recipe,how to make hiyashi chuka, Hiyashi Chuka, hiyashi chuka toppings,Cold ramen recipe,How to make japanese cold ramen,Ramen salad,cold noodle recipe,Japanese noodle salad,summer noodle recipe, summer ramen, hiyashi chuka sauce, kinshi tamago, shredded egg, kinshi tamago recipe, cold ramen salad, hiyashi chuka cold ramen, hiyashi chuka dressing, hiyashi chuka sauce recipe