Three Ways: Umi Organic Cold Noodle Salads
Hiyashi chuka is a popular dish to serve during the warm summer months in Japan. It consists of chilled ramen noodles tossed in creamy miso sesame dressing and topped with heaps of veggies and the protein of your choice. It’s light and bright, and a satisfying meal you’ll want to add to your dinner rotation.
Co-founder and CEO of Umi Organic, Lola Milholland, shares three ways you can prepare your own cold noodle salad using Umi Organic’s Ramen Noodles with Miso Sesame Sauce Kit.
Umi Chop Salad
This one is super summery, light but satisfying! It features lettuce, crunchy vegetables, and my favorite trick, quick-pickled radishes, which become a beautiful shade of barbie pink. This takes almost no time to make, but the radishes are most beautiful if you let them sit at least an hour after making them—the pink of the skin colors the vinegar and changes the color of the radishes. I make too many at once and have them over a few days.
Serves: 2
What you need
For pickled radishes
- Red radishes
- Pinch of salt
- Rice vinegar or Ume plum vinegar to cover
For the salad
- Lettuce, sliced
- Fennel, sliced
- Green onion, sliced
- Soft-boiled egg (I boil mine for six minutes!)
- Furikake or toasted sesame seeds and salt
Instructions
Combine the radishes, salt, and vinegar together in a jar. Set aside for 1 hour.
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Tease apart the noodles. Drop the noodles into the boiling water. Start a timer for 2 minutes. Stir occasionally to loosen the noodles. When the timer rings, drain the noodles in the colander and rinse under cold running water until fully chilled. Shake out the water thoroughly. Toss noodles with sauce. Divide between two bowls. Toss with lettuce, fennel, green onion, and any other crunchy vegetables, like shallot or cucumber, you have on hand. Top with half or one egg, pickled radish, and a shower of furikake.
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Umi Noodle Salad with Chicken, Tomato, & Cucumber
This is a very literal, pared-down riff on hiyashi chuka, the Japanese summertime classic of cold ramen noodles in a sesame dressing. We’ve made the dressing for you! All you need is a bit of leftover chicken (or pan-fried tofu or mushrooms!), a cucumber, a handful of tomatoes, green onion, and if you’re anything like me, chili oil. I dare you to take more than 3 minutes to boil and assemble this whole thing! It’s instantaneous and wonderful. A mid-summer classic.
Serves: 2
What You Need
- 1 package Umi Organic Noodles with Miso Sesame Sauce
- Cucumber, smashed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- Green onion, sliced
- Shredded cooked chicken
- Chili oil
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Tease apart the noodles. Drop the noodles into the boiling water. Start a timer for two minutes. Stir occasionally to loosen the noodles. When the timer rings, drain the noodles in the colander and rinse under cold running water until fully chilled. Shake out the water thoroughly. Toss noodles with sauce. Divide between two bowls and top with tomato, cucumber, green onion, and chicken. Drizzle optional chili oil over everything!
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Umi Noodle Salad with Kimchi and Sardines
This is a minimalist recipe. Please feel invited to riff. Whatever you’ve got in your fridge just might work!
Serves: 2
What you need
- 1 package Umi Organic Noodles with Miso Sesame Sauce
- Snap peas, string removed, sliced on a bias
- Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- Kimchi, sliced
- Soft-boiled egg (I boil mine for six minutes!)
- Tin of sardines
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Tease apart the noodles and drop them into the boiling water. Start a timer for two minutes. Stir occasionally to loosen the noodles. When the timer rings, drain the noodles in the colander and rinse under cold running water until fully chilled. Shake out the water thoroughly. Toss noodles with the miso sesame sauce. Divide between two bowls and top with snap peas, tomato, kimchi, soft-boiled egg, and a sardine.
Recipes courtesy of Umi Organic / Photos by Shawn Linehan