Cool down and relax with this popular Japanese Cold Ramen called Hiyashi Chuka. The cold noodles are mixed with homemade dressing and topped with egg, imitation crab, ham, cucumber, and tomato. It’s a bright, flavorful, and fun way to experience the magic of ramen on a hot summer day. {Vegan Adaptable}
As the temperature and humidity soar in Japan in the late summer, I just want to eat cold noodle dishes like cold soba or cold udon. But when it gets extra hot, all I can think about is the flavorful, rainbow color of toppings on a bowl of cold ramen called Hiyashi Chuka (冷やし中華).
Today, I’m sharing a hiyashi chuka recipe with my favorite homemade soy sauce-based noodle dressing.
Table of Contents
What is Hiyashi Chuka?
Hiyashi Chuka (冷やし中華) literally means “Cold Chinese-style”, but in fact it refers to a popular Japanese summer dish of which cold ramen noodles paired with toppings such as strips of thin omelette, cucumber, ham, and imitation (or real) crab. To tie everything together, it’s served with a soy sauce-based dressing that is sweet, savory, nutty, and acidic.
Refreshing and chewy, crisp and crunchy, sweet and savory—there’s plenty of flavors and textures in this cold noodle dish that it’s hard not to fall in love with it!
I also love that it is highly versatile so you can be creative and switch up the toppings as you like.
Hiyashi Chuka Topping Ideas
The classic hiyashi chuka consists of ramen noodles, egg, ham, imitation crab, cucumber, and tomatoes. However, there’s always room for customization. Here, I suggest a few variations:
- Avocado
- Blanched bean sprout
- Boiled egg
- Canned tuna
- Chashu
- Cooked shrimp
- Fried firm tofu
- Shredded chicken (rotisserie, boiled)
- Mizuna
- Lettuce
- Shredded nori
- Sautéed mushrooms
Where to Get Hiyashi Chuka Noodles
Japanese and Asian grocery stores carry Hiyashi Chuka (Cold Ramen) noodles in the refrigerated section. You can figure out the package easily as it usually has an image of the classic hiyashi chuka, shown below.
Typically, there are one to two kinds of hiyashi chuka: soy sauce dressing and sesame dressing. I am not a big fan of using the packaged sauce (check the ingredient list before you decide) so I have both dressing recipes on Just One Cookbook. The homemade sauces are healthier and easy to make at home!
- Soy sauce based dressing (see the recipe card below)
- Sesame miso based dressing
Since the noodles are fresh, you probably can’t find them online. In that case, you can try these dried ramen noodles.
Make Vegetarian/Vegan-Friendly Hiyashi Chuka
If you are vegetarian, simply omit ham and imitation crab (and egg, if vegan) and add your favorite veggies or tofu instead.
You can make the dressing by swapping the chicken stock with vegetable broth, kombu dashi, or water.
Hiyashi Chuka Cooking Tips
- Start preparing the dressing and omelette, which require cooking and then cooling down.
- Cut the topping ingredients into thin strips or bite-sized—”noodle-thin” strip for most toppings so that you can enjoy them with the noodles in one bite.
- Rinse the noodles under cold running water. It’s important to rinse off the starch for a better texture.
- Keep the toppings, noodles, and dressing chilled for the ultimate cold noodle experience!
- Gradually add the dressing; you don’t have to use it all.
On hot days, a cold noodle dish like hiyashi chuka is a nutritious meal to cool your body down, while filling up your tummy. Now pick up fresh hiyashi chuka noodles from an Asian or Japanese grocery store, prepare your favorite toppings, and create this cool Japanese dish!
More Cold Noodle Recipes to Enjoy
- Hiyashi Chuka with Sesame Miso Sauce
- Tsukemen (Dipping Noodles)
- Oroshi Soba
- Cold Tanuki Udon
- Cold Curry Udon
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Hiyashi Chuka (Cold Ramen)
Video
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ½–1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice; from 1-inch, 2.5 cm knob)
- 4 Tbsp soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- 2 Tbsp chicken stock/broth (or substitute water)
- 2 Tbsp water
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- ¼–½ tsp la-yu (Japanese chili oil) (optional; make my Homemade La-yu)
For the Toppings
- 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (each thin omelette uses 2 eggs)
- 2 tsp sugar
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil (to fry the egg; use 1 Tbsp per omelette)
- 2 Japanese or Persian cucumbers (or use an English cucumber and remove the seeds)
- 1 tomato
- 4–6 slices ham
- 4–6 sticks real or imitation crabmeat
For the Noodles
- 3 servings hiyashi chuka noodles (6 oz, 170 g fresh noodles per serving)
For Serving (optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Make the Dressing
- Peel and grate the ginger (I use a ceramic grater). Measure ½–1 tsp ginger, grated, with juice. If you like a gingery taste, use 1 tsp. You can always add more after you taste the sauce.
- In a medium saucepan, combine all the dressing ingredients—4 Tbsp soy sauce, 3 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 2 Tbsp chicken stock/broth, 2 Tbsp water, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, and ¼–½ tsp la-yu (Japanese chili oil). Whisk them all together. Bring it to a simmer and then turn off the heat. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Prepare a bowl of iced water. Dip the base of the saucepan into the iced water to cool the sauce. Cool it completely, and store it in the refrigerator if you‘re serving later. You can make the dressing ahead and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
To Prepare the Toppings
- To make a thin omelette, whisk together 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell), 2 tsp sugar, and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt in a small bowl.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil and evenly distribute it. Pour the egg mixture into the pan (or if you‘re doubling the recipe, make two omelettes and use two eggs each).
- When the egg is set on the surface, flip and cook the other side for 1–2 minutes. Transfer the omelet to a paper towel to absorb the excess oil and let it cool.
- Peel the skin of 2 Japanese or Persian cucumbers, alternating peeled and unpeeled strips to create a stripe pattern. Diagonally cut the cucumbers into thin slices, and then cut them into julienned strips.
- Cut 1 tomato in half and then cut the halves into wedges.
- Cut 4–6 slices ham into thin julienned strips.
- Separate 4–6 sticks real or imitation crabmeat into thin strips.
- When the omelette is cool, cut it in half and then into thin strips.
- Now, all the toppings are ready.
To Cook the Noodles
- Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Loosen and separate 3 servings hiyashi chuka noodles with your hands and add them to the boiling water. Cook the fresh noodles according to the package directions. Tip: I usually cook the noodles for less time for a firm, al dente doneness.
- Transfer the cooked noodles to a colander and rinse them thoroughly with your hands under cold running water. This stops the cooking, cools the noodles, and removes the excess starch. Drain completely, shaking the colander to remove the excess water.
To Assemble and Serve
- Divide the noodles into individual plates or bowls. Place all the toppings and pour the dressing on top before serving. Sprinkle with 1½ tsp toasted white sesame seeds (optional). Serve optional pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga) on top and Japanese karashi hot mustard on the side, if desired.
To Store
- You can keep the leftover sauce and toppings in separate airtight containers and store them in the refrigerator for 2 days. I recommend preparing the noodles right before you serve.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on July 7, 2013. The images and blog post have been updated and the recipe is slightly revised on July 17, 2022.
Hi Naomi, I have made this dish for my boys soooo often, but I always come back and check your recipe first. Everyone loves it and all the other recipes you share. We lived in Japan for years and it’s so much fun reading your recipes, remembering things we ate in Japan and recreating and sharing with friends and family back home. Thanks for your hard work! 🤩
Hi Carl! Nami and all of us at JOC are so glad to hear that you’ve been enjoying the recipes and everything else that we share. It means so much to us.
Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying many of her recipes!
Happy cooking!
I made it this evening and the entire family loved it, even my toddler. I served it with the hot mustard which made it all the more satisfying. Absolutely delicious on this hot Southern California day. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Hi Wendy! We are so happy to hear you and your family loved this dish!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback.
I just made this during a heat wave in Ireland. Haven’t had Hiyashi since 2015 in Tokyo ~ for my tastes I think I would reduce the amount of sesame oil and soy sauce. And maybe up the vinegar. The ratios in the recipe were a bit heavy, but the taste was delicious! I also halved the sugar.
Hi John! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for sharing your cooking experience with us!
John I completely agree. The sauce written as-is was overwhelmingly sweet and needed more vinegar. But I’m grateful to JOC for giving me a place to start tinkering!
I used to be a chef so I just love to cook. My wife is Japanese and so I like to learn to cook Japanese foods. Nami, you are always the website I look for first when trying to find recipes. Tonight I loosely followed this recipe, but I used soba on a bed of greens, seared scallops, cucumber, thin slices of cold, grilled tuna, just-picked cherry tomatoes, boiled eggs, and sauteed eggplant. It was awesome! Thank you for your hard work. Otsukare sama deshita!
Hi George! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and sharing your cooking experience with us!
Nami is so happy to hear you enjoy her recipe and JOC website. Thank you for your kind feedback. Domo Arigato~ 🥰
I had what they called “reimen,” in Osaka. Except the sauce tasted like sesame or peanut. Would you have a recipe for that?
Hi Angela! Yes, Nami has a recipe! https://www.justonecookbook.com/hiyashi-chuka-with-sesame-miso-sauce/
We hope you enjoy it!
Delicious recipe! I used frozen ramen noodles and the dressing recipe (I didn’t make all the toppings because I was too lazy… 😅) but it was still so good!! Will definitely make this again, it’s so refreshing on a hot summer day! Thank you for developing it.
Hi Miyuki! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed the Hiyashi Chuka!🥰
Thanks so much for this recipe Namiko! This was the best thing I’ve eaten all week!
I used leftover ramen, chashu, and egg from my Shoyu ramen and it came out amazing. I thought that the sauce really married everything together. The differing textures in each bite from noodles, to lettuce, to tomato, and the runny egg I had made it feel like a party in the mouth.
I felt like the tomato was the real star of the show as it had such a complex acidic flavor with the slightly sweet sesame sauce. Never enjoyed tomato so much in my life!
Hi Alex! Thank you very much for trying many of Namiko’s recipes!
Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear you enjoyed this Hiyashi Chuka very much! Especially the Tomato! Make us so pleased to hear that we could help you enjoy something you didn’t before. Thank you very much for sharing your cooking experience with us!
This is delicious and came together very quickly using the fresh packaged ramen noodles and only the ham, eggs, and cucumber i already had in the fridge. I used a Dutch oven for the eggs then use the same pot (without washing) to boil the water for the noodles. Cut the ham and cucumbers while the water is boiling and mixed up some Coleman’s mustard powder. Simple, light and satisfying. I still have about 1/3 of the dressing left. Will keep it refrigerated for a quick salad or something 😋. Thank you Nami for another winner.
Hi Karen! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us.
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed Hiyashi Chuka! Happy Cooking!
It’s very useful
Hi Albin, Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
I made this with zoodles, it was fantastic! Best zoodles ever 🙂
Hi Cindy! Thanks so much for trying this recipe. So happy to hear you enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
I just made it, the sauce was the star of the show. The hint of chili was a subtle, but made the taste complex and interesting. I didn’t realize how easy this was to do. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Jay! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback, Jay!
Hi Nami, I made this for lunch today for my daughter and I. I didn’t have ramen noodles, so I used frozen sanuki udon instead, with ham, egg crepe, cucumber and prawns for toppings. It turned out wonderfully, and made for a light, refreshing, and healthy meal. I regret not making more! Haha.
Hi Ying! I’m so happy you two enjoyed this dish! It’s my kids’ favorite too (my daughter would always prefer udon noodles). 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback!
[…] it was time to add a cold ramen dish to my repertoire. I perused one of my favorite sites, Just One Cookbook, and found a classic Japanese cold ramen dish, Hiyashi Chuka. Bingo, I was off to the […]
Just made this for me and my younger sister and WOW! I love cold noodle salad so much and especially on a summer day~ I subbed out the ramen noodles for shirataki noodles, and also added some parsley and that went really well 🙂
Hi Reina! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! So happy to hear you two enjoyed the recipe! And yay for Shirataki noodles! 🙂
[…] Just One Cookbook – Hiyashi Chuka […]