Japanese Cold Summer Noodles aka Hiyashi Chuka (cold ramen)

JAPANESE COLD SUMMER NOODLES, or HIYASHI CHUKA in Japanese, is a cold ramen dish made with fresh ramen noodles topped with a variety of toppings dressed in an easy sweet and tangy soy-based sauce. It is one of the tastiest and most refreshing meals to enjoy during the hot summer months! My version is inspired by the one my husband and I used to eat regularly at a Japanese restaurant around the corner from our downtown condo. It is topped simply with thinly sliced ham, egg and cucumbers. The gari and hot mustard paste are optional accoutrements but very highly recommended as they each elevate the dish to another level! I’ve also made suggestions for substituting the ramen noodles if you can’t get them. See recipe headnotes for more details about them.

This dish is great for making ahead. Prep everything up to the point of mixing it with the sauce. Keep it chilled in the fridge until ready to serve. It’s perfect for potlucks and picnics too.

I have such fond memories of this dish because I associate it with our early years of marriage living our carefree lives as young professionals, before we moved into a midtown house and had babies and were forced to adult 😆 I also love it because it’s so easy to make. Adulting is hard enough, dinner shouldn't be!

Eat well and be well,

Sonia x

Recipe headnotes - Japanese Cold Summer Noodles:

What types if noodles can I use for this recipe?

Traditionally, fresh (not instant) ramen noodles is used for this dish. These can be found at well-stocked East Asian grocery stores, usually in the freezer. See centre image above for the fresh ramen I get. If you have access to it, definitely use fresh ramen for the authentic taste and that unique chewy, bouncy texture. However, since fresh ramen noodles are not accessible to everyone, a pretty great substitute is asian dry wheat noodles (see right image above). I’ve even heard of people using pasta noodles in a pinch! In that case, I think a thin noodle like spaghettini would be ideal. These two noodle alternatives will have a different mouthfeel, obviously, but the resulting dish will still be refreshing and satisfying!

optional condiments I recommend:

If you can find either or both of these two following accoutrements, I highly recommend! They really elevate this dish by adding dimension. However if you can not source them, these cold summer noodles will still be a very slurp-worthy meal.

Gari – Japanese pickled young ginger. Many conventional grocery stores now have a little sushi stations that sell sushi or ingredients to make your own. Jars of gari are usually sold there.
Hot mustard paste: A little bit like wasabi with that addictive horseradish bite. East Asian grocery stores sell these in tubes. See above centre image of it, next to the ramen.

Can this be gluten-free?

Use 100% buckwheat soba noodles for a gluten-free version of this summer noodles recipe.

you may also be interested in these other easy recipes:

》japanese curry udon

》speedy chicken katsu dinner

》mushroom and egg ‘gyudon’ japanese rice bowls

Print Recipe

Japanese Cold Summer Noodles aka Hiyashi Chuka (Cold Ramen)

Recipe serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

For the sauce:

3 tbsp raw cane sugar

4 tbsp hot water

4 tbsp light soy sauce or tamari

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

For the egg crepes:

4 large eggs

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp water

For the noodles:

½ lb good quality ham (preferably not Black Forest ham or any with a chewy skin around the edge), cut into very thin strips

½ English cucumber, cut into thirds and julienned

4 portions ramen noodles or 350g dry wheat "stick" noodles (see headnote)

To serve:

Japanese pickled young ginger or gari

Hot mustard paste

Roasted sesame seeds

METHOD

Prepare the sauce: Whisk sugar with hot water until sugar is fully dissolved. Add remaining sauce ingredients and set aside.

Prepare egg crepes: Heat a non-stick pan over low to medium-low heat. While that is heating up, whisk eggs with sesame oil, salt and water. Once the pan is heated, cook eggs in batches for thin crepes i.e. I use a 10” pan and make them in 3 batches. Add a drizzle of oil and enough of the egg mixture to thinly coat the pan, swirling to spread evenly if it doesn’t do so on its own. Cook about 1 minute or just enough to be able to flip over. Flip and cook another side 30 seconds. Lift egg crepe gently from pan with a spatula onto a plate to cool. Continue with the rest. Once all egg crepes are done, slice into very thin strips.

Prepare the noodles: Bring a pot of water to a boil. If using other than ramen noodles (see head note), you likely need to season the water with salt – as heavily as you would for cooking pasta. Cook noodles according to package directions, taking care not to overcook. Once noodles are done, drain them in a colander and rinse very thoroughly with cold water to stop cooking, moving the noodles around to ensure no pockets of hot noodles remain. Shake off excess water and allow noodles to drain for a few minutes.

To serve: Place noodles into serving platter or individual bowls and top with the sliced egg, ham and cucumber. Garnish with roasted sesame seeds. Right before serving, pour about half of the sauce all over the noodles. Toss and serve with pickled ginger, hot mustard and the remaining sauce on the side to add to the noodles as needed while you eat. Enjoy!