With Japanese summers only getting hotter, using the oven or standing over a hot stove becomes more unappealing with each day. It can feel draining to make more than a smoothie or a snack plate, but luckily, there are plenty of seasonal Japanese dishes to beat the heat.
With such hot and humid summers, Japanese cuisine includes an abundance of cool and refreshing dishes. And though foods like sushi require skill to make, here are five easy Japanese summer dishes to make at home!
1. Somen Noodles
First on our list of easy Japanese summer dishes is somen (a thin noodle made of wheat flour). These very thin noodles can be served hot or cold, but in Japan, they are most commonly served chilled with a savory dipping sauce called tsuyu.
Somen noodles and tsuyu are extremely simple to make. The noodles take less than two minutes to cook, and though tsuyu can be made at home, it’s readily found in Japanese grocery stores.
Once you’ve prepared your noodles and sauce, add some toppings of your choice. The most popular toppings are chopped scallions and grated ginger, but somen is versatile so you can also add tofu, an egg, vegetables and sesame seeds.
Try these somen noodle recipes
This in-depth recipe gives a thorough explanation of somen noodles and also includes a recipe for homemade tsuyu.
- For a straightforward recipe with variations along with another recipe for tsuyu, check out this recipe.
2. Hiyashi Chuka
Hiyashi chuka is a ramen dish that literally means “cold Chinese,” as it is a Chinese-style dish that is, you guessed it, served cold. With flavorful toppings, these cold noodles are the perfect cooling summer substitute for that comforting bowl of hot ramen.
Though not as simple as somen noodles, hiyashi chuka is still about as easy to make as a bowl of ramen. It includes chilled noodles, a soy sauce base and toppings of your choice—like boiled eggs, ham, crab, cucumbers and tomatoes—served together on top, creating a cute color palette.
Try these hiyashi chuka recipes
- Our own home-style hiyashi chuka uses staple toppings found in any supermarket.
- This versatile recipe offers a variety of ideas for toppings and also includes vegetarian and vegan options.
3. Hiyayakko
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- External Link
- https://gaijinpot.com/
1 Comment
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Gene Hennigh
Oi. All of these dishes look really good (shabu shabu is my particular favorite) but, alas, cooking even simple things is a trial for me. So to enjoy these things requires an invitation by someone for me to try them. But I'd eat them all; and maybe all at once.