Let's Chill It

The weather is just scorching hot these days where we are.  To combat this discomfort (preparing, eating and after eating), i make simple meals and chilled Japanese meals is one good option. Hiroshi Chuka, a cold ramen all in one meal is one that we enjoy a lot.  It is a very attractive dish with vibrant colors, healthy, light, delicious and easy to prepare.  A sesame-vinegar-soy dressing which is tangy and savoury is poured over the noodles and all the toppings before giving it a good mix. 

My son can never get enough of this :)  He doesn't mind having it for all meals in a day.

Recipe
Source: Just One Cookbook

Ingredients
Noodle Dressing 

• 6 Tbsp. soy sauce (4 tbsp)
• 4 Tbsp. sugar (2 1/2 tbsp)
• 3 Tbsp. rice vinegar (2 tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil (1 tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp. water (1 tbsp)
• 1 Tbsp. roasted sesame seeds
• ¼ tsp. grated ginger (omitted)
• ½ – 1 tsp. La-yu (Japanese Chili Oil) (omitted)

Shredded Egg Crepe

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp. sugar
• ¼ tsp. salt
• Oil

Other Toppings

• 6 shrimps + 1 Tbsp. sake
• 1 Japanese cucumber (1/3 English cucumber), julienned (1/2 Japanese Cucumber)
• 1 iceberg lettuce, shredded (1 head romaine lettuce)
• ½ tomato, cut into wedges (1 tomato)
• 3-4 slices hams (2 slices)
• 4-6 imitation crab sticks (or crab meat), shredded
• Kaiware radish sprouts (omitted)

Noodles

• 3 6-oz fresh ramen (chukamen) noodles (2 noodles)

For Garnish

• 1 Tbsp. roasted white sesame seeds (sprinkle to hearts content)
• Karashi hot mustard (optional) (1 tbsp chilli flakes)
• Pickled red ginger (beni shoga) (optional) (omitted)

Method

1. Combine all the noodle dressing ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk all together. Keep it chilled in the refrigerator.
2. Whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt. Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook on both sides.
3. Cool the crepe and cut it into thin strips.
4. For shrimps, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add sake and shrimp and cover with the lid. The alcohol in the sake will help remove the smell and tender the meat. Turn off the heat when the color of shrimp started to change and let it cook with remaining heat. Do not overcook otherwise shrimp will become hard. Transfer shrimps to a plate and let them cool. 
5. If you are using uncooked ham, pan fry it.  Cool and cut into thin strips.
6. I blanched the crab sticks in a pot of boiling water to cook it. Cool and cut into thin strips.
7. For the noodles, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the noodles, separate the noodles before dropping into water. Cook according to package directions. Drain the water and rinse the noodles to remove starch. Soak the noodles into a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain completely and divide the noodles on plates/bowls.
8. Place all the toppings and pour the dressing before serving. 
9. Serve with karashi hot mustard and pickled ginger on the side, if desired.

Note:

Other topping options (as suggested by Nami) include shredded steamed chicken tender, blanched bean sprouts (blanched), wakame seaweed, nori seaweed strips, etc.