Hiyashi Chuka--Cold Ramen Noodles

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!

Hiyashi Chuka--Cold Ramen

adapted from Just One Cookbook

Ingredients:

cooked and chilled ramen noodles

thinly sliced egg crepe

thinly sliced green onion

cooked shrimp

sliced tomatoes

thinly sliced ham

blanched bean sprouts

thinly sliced cucumber

optional: kizami shoga, kombu tsukemono, lemon/lime wedges, daikon sprouts

sauce:

6 tablespoons shoyu

1 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon grated ginger

dash hot chili oil

4 tablespoons water

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!

***

Hiyashi Chuka--Cold Ramen

adapted from Just One Cookbook

Ingredients:

cooked and chilled ramen noodles

thinly sliced egg crepe

thinly sliced green onion

cooked shrimp

sliced tomatoes

thinly sliced ham

blanched bean sprouts

thinly sliced cucumber

optional: kizami shoga, kombu tsukemono, lemon/lime wedges

sauce:

6 tablespoons shoyu

1 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon grated ginger

dash hot chili oil

4 tablespoons water

Make sauce and refrigerate.

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.

Easy & Delicious Farmer's Market Salad

Last Friday I stopped by the Whittier Farmer's Market and was reacquainted with one of my favorite salads. When I worked for Taguchi Farms back in the '80s, one of the vendors at the market would make this salad and have a bowl of toothpicks next to it to make it available for tasting. The ingredients are simple--pick several summer veggies--and the preparation is easy--chop into bite-sized pieces and dress with lemon/lime juice and sea salt.

This salad is perfect for the hot, hot, HOT weather we've been having here in Southern California--I've been keeping a big bowl of salad in the refrigerator, so it's nice and cold.

Some of my family members like it with a little shoyu on-the-side, or with some chopped jalapeños sprinkled on top. It's also good with a drizzle of olive oil.

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes

1 red pepper (I ended up not using the green pepper)

1 small yellow pepper

1 small red onion

6 cucumbers

8 curly peppers (they're mild)

1 bunch cilantro leaves

juice of 1/2 lemon and/or 1 lime

sea salt & pepper to taste

The key to making this salad good is to use vegetable you like. I really like cucumbers, so I use a lot of them. Homegrown tomatoes or ones from a farmer's market will make the salad better since those tomatoes will have a lot of flavor. I like the curly peppers because they're mild and everyone in my family can eat them, I'll serve jalapeños on the side. Red onion gives the salad a little bite of spiciness. The lemon and/or lime juice with a little sea salt keeps the salad light, tasting fresh and mellows out the red onion a bit.

Chop all vegetables into bite-sized pieces.

I used 3 different kinds of cucumbers because I saw them at the market--Persian, pickling and Japanese--they all looked so good.

Put all the chopped vegetables in a large bowl, add juice of 1/2 lemon and/or 1 lime, salt and pepper to taste and toss gently. I take the leaves off the cilantro--chopping them is a lot faster, but I don't think the stems look as nice as the leaves. Is that a little OCD? 

Chill thoroughly and serve.

Itadakimasu!

***

Remember Isamu? You first met him in the Gail's Stew post.

He's keeping cool in this heat.

 A few months ago he had a birthday! He's growing so fast!

 Isamu LOVES trucks and LARGE vehicles.

The whole family gathered not too long ago for his baptism.

Proud parents, Eugene and Maria.

Isamu loves Obaachan. Absolutely LOVES her! Obaachan is Isamu's best friend. She teaches him a lot of Japanese words--his parents call it "Bachanese". He says "Yanna." "Yanna go see Mommy." He talks a lot, but can also be quiet. Early on he learned "Dude" and "Sweet" from his cousins Tyler and Colin (who are in their twenties). Isamu is learning Spanish, too. He loves trucks, Duplos and playing with water. He's smart and has a good sense of humor--he likes to be funny and make us laugh. Sometimes he calls his dad "Eugene," but mostly he calls him "Poppy." He can do impressions of Obaachan, Eugene and Rufina, his babysitter. Isamu loves guacamole--and eats it like a main dish. I love to hear him shout, "Guacamole!" when he comes over. 

Isamu brings a lot of joy to our family.

***

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes

1 red pepper (I ended up not using the green pepper)

1 small yellow pepper

1 small red onion

6 cucumbers

8 curly peppers (they're mild)

1 bunch cilantro leaves

juice of 1/2 lemon and/or 1 lime

sea salt & pepper to taste

optional: drizzle of olive oil

chopped jalapeños

Chop all vegetables into bite-sized pieces. 

Put all the chopped vegetables in a large bowl, add juice of 1/2 lemon and/or 1 lime, salt and pepper to taste and toss gently.

Chill thoroughly before serving.

Taco Salad

Ever wonder what to serve when your guests have a lot of different dietary requirements? 

No meat. No carbs. High carbs. High raw. Hearty and high calorie.

Taco Salad is a good thing to have when you're feeding a variety of eaters, everyone can build their own salad or tacos with whatever their food requirements are. You can make it fancy or simple with whatever you like.

Ingredients:

romaine and red leaf lettuce, chopped
pico de gallo--sweet & green onions, cilantro, tomatoes, jalapeno pepper & lemon--chop & mix
red and green cabbage, thinly sliced
avocado, sliced
spanish rice
ground turkey--seasoned with cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, salt & pepper
pinto or black beans

optional: olives, sour cream cheese, slivered almonds, corn, chile verde, grilled salmon, tortillas

 The avocados on our trees are just beginning to mature--this is the first one of the year--not much mature flavor yet, but after several months without them, they're so good!

 

Soon, there will be enough avocados to make guacamole!

 

 Canned olives and pinto beans--black beans are good in Taco Salad too--you can make your own beans to control the salt.

If I'm having a lot of people over, I might make Chile Verde too.

 

Or maybe some carne asada.

 

 Or grill some salmon--did you see the Fish Tacos post?

Taco Salad is a favorite at our house--letting everyone build their own salad allows for a diverse range of eaters satisfying their needs. On the top of my salad, I sprinkled a little bit of arugula I've got growing in-between the flowers in my front yard.

Itadakimasu!


***


Baseball season has begun!

 My nephew Colin is playing for Loyola Marymount University.
You might remember Colin made Meatball Sandwiches here on FOODjimoto.com.

 I like watching baseball when I know someone playing--and especially when it's Colin.

 Rick's a baseball fan. BIG baseball fan.

 

Proud Mom, Nancy.

 

Proud Pop, Bill.

 

Bachan came to the game, too.

O-Baachan and O-Jiichan both came to the game as well as Mr. & Mrs. Iriyama, their close friends. It's quite an outing to have the whole gang come out to support Colin.
Thanks, Nancy & Bill for lunch and taking care of us at the game--we had fun!


***

Taco Salad

Ingredients:

romaine and red leaf lettuce, chopped
pico de gallo--sweet & green onions, cilantro, tomatoes, jalapeno pepper & lemon--chop & mix
red and green cabbage, thinly sliced
avocado, sliced, diced or made into guacamole
spanish rice
ground turkey--seasoned with cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, salt & pepper
pinto or black beans

optional: olives, sour cream cheese, slivered almonds, corn, chile verde, grilled salmon, tortillas

Prepare each ingredient and place into separate bowls so everyone can build their own salad according to their own dietary requirements.