Hiyashi Chūka (Cold Ramen)

Method21 steps · about 20 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Put all the rice vinegar (3 tbsp), ready dashi and 2 tablespoons dressing sugar into a small pot. Heat just enough to dissolve the sugar, stirring, then remove from the heat.

   Uses 3 tbsp Japanese rice vinegar · 2 tbsp ready bonito-and-kelp dashi stock · 2 tbsp sugar, for the dressing

2. 2

   Step 2: Stir all the soy sauce (4 tbsp), sake (1 tbsp) and sesame oil (½ tbsp) into the sweetened vinegar mixture from step 1. Let the dressing cool while you prepare the toppings.

   Uses sweetened vinegar and dashi mixture · 4 tbsp soy sauce · 1 tbsp sake · ½ tbsp sesame oil

3. 3

   Step 3: Cut all the cucumber (100 g) diagonally into slices about 3 mm thick and 7 cm long, then cut them into sticks about 3 mm wide.

   Uses 100 g cucumber

4. 4

   Step 4: Boil the bean sprouts (100 g) in enough water to cover them for a few minutes, until cooked. Drain and cool promptly; keep the drained sprouts for assembly.

   Uses 100 g bean sprouts · Water for boiling the bean sprouts, as needed; drained off

5. 5

   Step 5: Cut all the ready sliced ham into strips about 5 mm wide. Keep it chilled until assembly.

   Uses 100 g ready sliced smoked leg ham

6. 6

   Step 6: Boil all the already rehydrated wood ear mushrooms in fresh water for about 1 minute. Drain, cool and slice finely. The 5 g ingredient quantity is the original dry weight.

   Boil rehydrated wood ear · 1 minUses All rehydrated wood ear mushrooms made from the 5 g dry stock · Water for boiling the rehydrated mushrooms, as needed; drained off

7. 7

   Step 7: Mix the two beaten eggs with the egg-crepe pinch of salt (1 pinch) and pinch of sugar in a bowl.

   Uses 2 eggs, beaten · 1 pinch salt, for the egg crepes · 1 pinch sugar, for the egg crepes

8. 8

   Step 8: Heat a nonstick frying pan about 25 cm across over medium-high heat. Add the ½ tablespoon pan oil and spread it across the surface. Wipe away excess with kitchen paper.

   Uses ½ tbsp oil, for the egg-crepe pan

9. 9

   Step 9: Pour about one-third of the egg mixture from step 7 into the pan, moving and tilting the pan to spread it into a thin crepe. Keep the remaining mixture in the bowl.

   Uses About ⅓ of the seasoned egg mixture

10. 10

    Step 10: Cook the first egg crepe from step 9 for about 1 minute, until its surface is almost set.

    First egg-crepe side · 1 minUses first thin egg crepe

11. 11

    Step 11: Gently lift and turn the crepe from step 10 with a spatula or cooking chopsticks.

    Uses first egg crepe with its underside set

12. 12

    Step 12: Cook the second side of the first crepe from step 11 for another 15–30 seconds, until the egg is fully set. Slide it onto a large cutting board.

    Second egg-crepe side · 1 minUses turned first egg crepe

13. 13

    Step 13: Repeat steps 9–12 with all the remaining egg mixture from step 7 in the already oiled pan, making thin crepes and cooking each until fully set. Stack them with the first cooked crepe from step 12.

    Uses All remaining egg mixture, about ⅔ of the batch · first fully cooked egg crepe

14. 14

    Step 14: Cut the stack of cooked crepes from step 13 into semicircles. Stack the semicircles and slice across them into strips about 5 mm wide. Cool promptly and keep chilled if assembly will be delayed.

    Uses complete stack of cooked egg crepes

15. 15

    Step 15: Bring a large pot of fresh water to the boil. Add all 160–200 g fresh egg noodles, loosening their strands as they enter the water.

    Uses Water for boiling the noodles, as needed; drained off · 160–200 g fresh egg noodles for boiling

16. 16

    Step 16: Immediately lift and drop strands of the noodles from step 15 with chopsticks or a fork to separate them in the boiling water.

    Uses fresh noodles in boiling water

17. 17

    Step 17: Cook the separated noodles from step 16 according to their package instructions, until ready to eat. The cooking time depends on the fresh noodle product.

    Uses separated noodles in their cooking water

18. 18

    Step 18: Drain the cooked noodles from step 17 in a sieve, discarding their cooking water. Rinse under cold water until completely cool, then drain well.

    Uses cooked noodles in their cooking water · Cold water for rinsing the cooked noodles, as needed; drained off

19. 19

    Step 19: Shake off excess water from all the cold noodles from step 18 and divide them between two serving plates.

    Uses cold rinsed and drained noodles

20. 20

    Step 20: Arrange all the cucumber sticks from step 3, cooled bean sprouts from step 4, ham strips from step 5 and egg strips from step 14 in separate groups over the two noodle plates from step 19, pointing toward the center. Put the sliced wood ear mushrooms from step 6 in the center.

    Uses two plates of cold noodles · cucumber sticks · cooked cooled bean sprouts · chilled ham strips · cooked egg-crepe strips · cooked sliced wood ear mushrooms

21. 21

    Step 21: Divide all the cooled dressing from step 2 over the topped noodle plates from step 20. Add the optional hot mustard at the side to taste and serve immediately.

    Uses two topped cold noodle plates · cooled sweet vinegar dressing · Hot mustard, to taste, optional