Since the weather has been so hot here the last few weeks, we've been eating cold foods. Hiyashi Chuka--or cold ramen noodles--is refreshing on hot days. Nami over at Just one Cookbook is always an inspiration whenever I want to cook Japanese food. I like to compare her recipes to mine--it's like comparing Japanese American food to Japanese food, since Nami is from Japan, and I was born and raised here in the US.
Top the cooked and chilled ramen noodles with all sorts of toppings like--cooked shrimp, thinly sliced ham, slivered green onions, thinly sliced egg crepe, cooked spinach, sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms--the possibilities are endless!
These are old-fashioned chuka soba noodles. This is the kind I ate when I was growing up--because they were the only ones available. Now there's all kinds!
This kind is a little fancier, but I'm going to try fresh ramen noodles next time I go to the market.
Use whatever noodles you like. I like these GreeNoodles. I used them in my Healthier Instant Ramen post. I made Hiyashi Chuka with these noodles to take to my parents, since the noodles have 6 grams of fiber per serving and are a healthier choice than the plain wheat flour noodles. My dad is eating healthy these days and I made these to support him.
Make an egg crepe by beating one egg with a good pinch of sugar, a small pinch of salt and a teaspoon of water, pour into a small, hot non-stick pan (medium heat) and swirl the egg around until it covers the bottom of the pan. Lower heat and cook a minute or so until the edges curl away from the pan, then flip the crepe. Cook for a few seconds and remove from pan and cool. Roll the egg crepe and slice thinly.
Top your cold noodles with assorted vegetables and/or cold meats, add a drizzle of dressing and--it's time to eat!
Itadakimasu!
***
These are my neighbors, the Watanabes. The other day, they had a party for all the neighbors that share the same driveway--there are four families--it's nice living here with good neighbors.
There was lots of delicious food--Tonkatsu, barbecued chicken wings, teriyaki chicken and french fries...
A huge platter of tempura...
A big bowl of sunomono salad, fruit, drinks and of course, rice.
Everything was delicious!
My neighbor Hiro loves growing things. His yard is FULL of plants! Geraniums and...
Camelias.
I'm not sure what these flowers are--does anyone know?
Pomegranates are growing there too. I love walking down the driveway to see what I can catch with my camera.
From the left--Sam, Tomoko and Hiyato and Gary. Tomoko & Hiyato don't share our driveway, they're friends. We have a lot in common.
Tomoko told me about this flower growing in Hiro's yard. She said it only blooms at night and for only one night.
We all talked and laughed well into the evening!
And we got to see the rare blooming! Thank you to Hiro and Gina for such a nice evening!
Boil noodles according to package directions, drain, and cool them quickly in an ice water bath. Drain and put into refrigerator to keep cold.
Prepare other vegetables and meats according to ingredients list--most are julienne cut in Japanese-style. Place condiments on top of noodles with a light drizzle of dressing on top.
Looking for a healthier alternative to instant ramen?
I understand.
I grew up eating instant ramen, but now that I'm older and have become more concerned with all the salt and fat that's in the usual packages of instant ramen, I've been looking for an alternative to take its place.
At any of the Japanese grocery stores in my area, or the other Asian markets, you can find fresh ramen noodles in the deli section, and they are certainly a good alternative to the dried, fried, instant noodle packages, but they're not exactly what I call fast.
Okay, they're pretty fast.
And if you kept them in the freezer, that would keep them handy because fresh noodles don't keep that long.
But I want to cook it in one pot--this meal is when I'm too tired to cook, and too tired to go out.
The seasoning packets in the fresh noodles are loaded with salt and msg, just like the instant ones.
I'm kind of looking for something in-between, and healthier.
This is good!
This is what I've come up with--instant ramen-type noodles with powdered dashi broth and lots of vegetables.
I saw these noodles at Nijiya Market the other day, and decided to give them a try--the package without the soup mix included.
They also make it with different flavored soups.
Notice the 6g of dietary fiber.
Healthier right there.
If you're interested in comparisons, you can find them easily when you google any brand's nutrition facts.
This is the soup base, dashi, that I've been using.
No salt or msg added.
Since it's made from kelp, it's going to have some salt, but the first ingredient is not salt like most other dashi.
At least then you can control the amount of salt added.
This company makes a bonito flavored one that's good too.
For 2 servings, dissolve one packet of dashi into 3 cups of water over medium heat.
Gather an assortment of vegetables, whatever you have on hand.
The idea here is to use what you have.
Frozen mixed vegetables work, too.
I always add the onions first.
If you prefer them a little crunchy, add the onions with the other vegetables.
This is what the green noodles look like.
One block is one serving.
Drop them in the boiling water.
When the water boils again, loosen up the noodles with ohashi (chopsticks) or a fork.
Then add the vegetables.
We like it with a beaten egg, like egg drop soup.
Mix up the egg.
You're going to add it when the soup boils.
I like it a little spicy, so I add a pinch of chili flakes.
The heat seems to satisfy part of the flavor quotient so I need less salt--a pinch of salt usually does the trick.
Salt should add flavor, not BE the flavor.
I read that in the newspaper the other day.
Drop the beaten egg in the pot when the water is boiling.
Stir gently.
Add more water if you like it with more broth.
Taste and adjust flavors.
Or make it simpler, with a few veggies on top, without the egg.
This is what we eat--sometimes with udon noodles instead--when there's nothing to eat and we don't want to go out.
If you've been following along, you may have seen them.
She is a beauty.
It's sweet to watch her with her little sister.
I took this photo a few years ago at one of the Booth's Beach Bashes.
Alexia isn't camera shy.
But seems a little on the shy side at family parties.
This was just a year and a half ago, and she's grown up so much since she and her beautiful mama were bridesmaids.
Last week I was invited to hear Alexia sing.
Her high school's vocal department had an end-of-the-year performance.
While she may be a little on the shy side at family parties, she absolutely sparkles onstage!
A big THANK YOU to my friend Gail for inviting me to see her granddaughter's performance--it was such a fun evening going out to dinner and watching the very entertaining performances.
Below is a video of Los Alamitos High School's Soundtrax, the women's show choir.
They won a competition they attended in New York City earlier this year and are National Champions.
Congratulations, Alexia!
At 7:52, she's part of a trio.
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Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 package GreeNoodle without soup base
1 dashi packet
optional:
chili flakes
shoyu
miso
vegetables
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add your favorite dashi--Japanese instant soup flavoring. Add any of the optional flavorings and cook for 3 minutes or until noodles reach the desired doneness.
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