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Summer Food in Japan
by Jackie Miyasaka, from the July 2003 newsletter
When I was living in Japan, the most popular summer food by far was cold noodles. Nothing can beat a refreshing bowl of cold noodles on a hot and sticky day. The most common cold noodle dishes are hiyashi chuka and zaru soba.
Hiyashi chuka (literally “cold chow mein noodles”) is a bowl of ramen noodles topped with various ingredients and a cold soup. Because it contains carbohydrates, vegetables, and protein sources, it makes a nutritious meal all on its own. It is also a beautifully colorful dish. Many restaurants add hiyashi chuka to their menus during the summer. It is one of my favorite things to eat in July and August.
Zaru soba (literally “buckwheat noodles on a bamboo tray”) are soba noodles that are typically served on a bamboo tray, dipped a little at a time into a cold soup to coat them, and then slurped up. (While frowned upon in the United States, slurping your noodles is considered to be polite in Japan.) The soup for zaru soba is flavored with wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and scallions. Buckwheat noodles are considered very nutritious, and buckwheat is traditionally used to improve high blood pressure and circulation.
Why not try a bowl of cold noodles to revive yourself and minimize the amount of time you spend in a hot kitchen during the summer months?
Hiyashi Chuka
1 cup chicken stock
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup julienned cucumber
1 cup julienned ham
8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 eggs
vegetable oil
2 six-ounce packages chuka soba chow mein noodles (spaghetti may be substituted)
4 teaspoons hot mustard
Boil noodles as directed on package. Do not overcook. Drain. Rinse well under cold, running water to cool.
Beat eggs. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil a small frypan over medium heat. Add enough beaten egg to thinly coat the bottom of the frypan. Cook until the egg is done on the bottom, and then turn it over and cook for a few seconds more. Remove the egg from the frypan and let it cool. Repeat this with the rest of the beaten egg until it is gone. Then cut the cooked egg into julienne strips.
Mix the chicken stock, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and ginger together in a bowl to make the soup.
Divide noodles among 4 bowls. Top each with bean sprouts, cucumber, ham, tomatoes, and egg. Pour cold soup over each. Garnish each with 1 teaspoon hot mustard. Mix before eating.
Zaru Soba (Serves 4)
1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 cup fish or kelp stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. wasabi (Japanese horseradish)
1/4 cup scallions, sliced thinly
1 package soba (buckwheat) noodles (available at the Co-op)
1/2 sheet nori, folded in half and cut into thin strips the short way
Bring mirin to a boil in a small saucepan. Add stock, soy sauce, and sugar; bring to a boil again. Remove from heat. Refrigerate soup until cold.
Boil noodles as directed on package. Do not overcook. Drain. Rinse well under cold running water to cool. Divide among 4 plates. Top with cut nori.
Divide soup among 4 small bowls. Stir 1/2 teaspoon wasabi (more or less, to taste) in soup. Add an equal amount of scallions to each soup bowl.
Dip noodles into soup and eat. This dish partners well with Wakame and Cucumber Salad, as well as with grilled fish.
It is a good idea to double or triple the soup recipe and refrigerate some extra soup so that you can have zaru soba any time.
Jackie Miyasaka is a Japanese-English translator who lives in Pullman.
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