Slip Slop Slurp.
When daylight saving clicks over, we smell summer. Thirsty Merc comes out of the woodwork and random sand appears in all pockets.
In Japan, along with the sweat-saturated salarymen in short-sleeved white shirts, it is the reappearance of hiyashi chukka on ramen menus which marks the launch of summer.
Hiyashi chuuka is a simple cold noodle dish. Ramen style noodles are the base, with various toppings assembled on top like a pie graph. Some classics include julienned cucumber, kinshi tamago and ham. Kinshi tamago is the sliced “egg crepe”, made by multiple thin layers of egg in a frypan, and cutting into strips once folded. Some people like to add tomato, chicken instead of ham, and bean sprouts. There are no strict rules but it should look colourful - somewhat like a flag.
The dish it is served in should not be as deep as a ramen bowl as the sauce/liquid is more like a dressing. The basic foundations include soy sauce, vinegar, mirin which makes it a tangy and refreshing feed. Variations can be made with a nuttier sesame-based dressing. For the grown-ups, an inch of mustard squeezed on the rim of the dish adds an extra buzz that really feels good in the heat. It’s a pro-move for those stinkers north of 35 because of the sharp and vibrant flavours, mixing with some cool cucumber crunch and slippery slurp. Get that up ya.
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