What Is Hiyashi Chuka? Japan's Cold Summer Ramen

When most people think of ramen, they picture a steaming bowl of hot broth, springy noodles, sliced pork, maybe an egg, and a cold beer on the side.

But in Japan, ramen is not only for cold weather.

When summer arrives and the humidity starts making hot soup feel like a personal attack, another kind of ramen shows up on menus across Japan.

It is called Hiyashi Chuka.

At Juraku, this is one of our favorite warm-weather dishes because it makes sense the second you eat it. Cold ramen noodles. Fresh toppings. Bright dressing. A little richness. A little acidity. A lot of texture.

It is refreshing without feeling too light, which is exactly what you want when New York starts feeling like a giant subway platform in July.

So, What Is Hiyashi Chuka?

Hiyashi Chuka, written 冷やし中華 in Japanese, roughly means "chilled Chinese-style."

Despite the name, Hiyashi Chuka is very much a Japanese dish.

It was created in Japan by Chinese-style restaurants in the early 20th century, most commonly traced to the 1930s and 1940s. Like many great Japanese comfort foods, it came from adaptation, seasonality, and practicality.

Instead of hot broth, Hiyashi Chuka uses chilled ramen noodles topped with colorful ingredients and finished with a dressing. Think of it as cold ramen, but not cold ramen soup, closer to a composed noodle dish: chilled, sauced, layered with toppings, and built to be mixed together as you eat.

A Dish Made for Japanese Summer

Japanese summers are humid. New York summers are also humid. This is one of the reasons Hiyashi Chuka feels so right here.

The dish is built around contrast. The noodles are cold and springy. The cucumber is crisp. The egg adds softness. The chashu brings richness. The pickled ginger cuts through everything. The dressing ties it together.

Every bite is different, but it all stays balanced. It is light enough for summer, but still filling enough to be a real meal.

What Goes Into Hiyashi Chuka?

There is no single fixed version of Hiyashi Chuka, but the basic structure usually stays the same.

Hiyashi Chuka uses ramen noodles that are boiled, rinsed, and chilled, rinsing removes excess starch and helps the noodles stay firm, clean, and springy. Classic toppings often include:

• Cucumber
• Egg
• Ham or pork
• Imitation crab
• Tomato
• Pickled ginger
• Scallions

Sometimes shrimp, chicken, bean sprouts, corn, wakame, or other vegetables are added too. The goal is color, texture, and balance.

The two most common dressing styles are a soy-vinegar dressing (bright, tangy, refreshing) and a sesame dressing (creamier, richer, more savory).

Juraku's Hiyashi Chuka

At Izakaya Juraku, our Hiyashi Chuka is made with cold ramen noodles, cucumber, spinach, imitation crab, chashu pork, egg, pickled ginger, and scallions. Then you choose your dressing:

• Creamy sesame-soy dressing
• Refreshing shikuwasa citrus vinaigrette

The sesame-soy version is richer and more comforting, with a nutty, savory flavor that works really well with the chashu, egg, and noodles.

The shikuwasa version is brighter and more refreshing. Shikuwasa is a small Okinawan citrus with a sharp, tart flavor that sits somewhere between lime, sour mandarin, and Japanese citrus, a clean, refreshing finish that makes a lot of sense in hot weather.

What To Drink With Hiyashi Chuka

Because it is cold, savory, and refreshing, Hiyashi Chuka works well with crisp drinks. A cold Japanese beer is the obvious move. A highball also makes sense, especially with the sesame-soy version. For the shikuwasa version, something citrusy or sparkling works especially well, a sake spritz, yuzu drink, shochu highball, or one of our lighter summer cocktails.

Try Hiyashi Chuka at Juraku

Our Hiyashi Chuka is back for the summer at Izakaya Juraku in the Lower East Side. Cold ramen noodles with cucumber, spinach, imitation crab, chashu pork, egg, pickled ginger, and scallions. Choose creamy sesame-soy dressing or refreshing shikuwasa citrus vinaigrette.

It is cold ramen, but not the way most people think of ramen. It is bright, colorful, satisfying, and built for hot weather. Basically, it is summer in a bowl. Come try it while it is here.

See the rest of the menu.