Japanese Food Tips

Ramen is a world-famous and typical Japanese noodle dish, and many people know what it is like. It is usually served hot, but there is also a chilled version called hiyashi-chuka or hiyashi-ramen, which is served at many ramen shops or Japanese-style Chinese restaurants only during the hot summer season. Ramen is made by pouring warm soup over boiled Chinese noodles and topping them with several ingredients, while hiyashi-chuka (hiyashi-ramen) is made by cooling boiled Chinese noodles in cold water, topping them with various ingredients, and pouring a room temperature or cold sauce over them. When cooking it at home, most people buy the type of product that comes in a bag with noodles and sauce. Popular toppings are egg crepe, cucumber, ham, tomato and so on, which are usually stripped and placed visibly on top. The toppings and the way they are arranged differ from restaurant to restaurant and home to home. There are two main types of sauce - vinegar and soy sauce flavored and sesame sauce flavored. Convenience stores and supermarkets sell hiyashi-chuka (hiyashi-ramen) with noodles and toppings separated and placed together with the sauce (which has been inserted into a bag) in a plastic bowl, which can be used as a food vessel. The product, which can be found in the chilled section of the stores, is easy to assemble by simply placing the toppings on top of the noodles and pouring sauce over the top. If you are ever in Japan in the summer, please try hiyashi-chuka (hiyashi-ramen).