Hiyashi Chuka ~ Japanese Cold Noodle Salad ~ Memories of Japan
Mar 22, 2011 at 11:04 
Like many of you, my heart has been heavy with sadness for the people of Japan after the devastaing earthquake and tsunami. For those of you who know me, you know Japan has a very special place in my heart. You see, I spent the first five years of my life in Japan. I was born in the United States, but shortly thereafter my father, an officer in the United States Air Force, was transfered to Japan. Japan left a deep, indelible print on my heart. I have nothing but warm memories of Japan's gracious ways, their people, their traditions and the country's beauty.
One of my fondest recollections from my time in Japan is when I would spend time at my babysitter's home. I used to eat dinner there whenever I stayed. "Endo-san" was like an extended member of our family. Endo-san lived in the country side, with her husband and family, in a traditional Japanese wooden home with sliding wood-and-paper-rice doors. There was a large, traditional, short-legged, wooden dining table. We would sit on the floor and eat dinner around that table. I liked sitting on the floor. We never did that in my house. Japanese food has always been a favorite of mine, and I'm sure you can understand why.
Years later, long after we moved away from Japan, I lived in 
Photo - Setsuko YoshizukaHawaii. You guessed it, Dad got transferred again. Needless to say while in Hawaii there was an abundance of Japanese food and restaurants at my fingertips. One of my favorite restaurants to eat at was a Japanese noodle house in Honolulu. My mother and I would "run away" for lunch or dinner there whenever we could. My favorite dish to order was the cold noodle salad typically known as "Hiyashi Chuka". Hiyashi Chuka would be served in the summer if you were in Japan, but in Hawaii you could find it year-round. The dish is a basic meal consisting of cold ramen noodles with various julienned vegetables on top, and served with a dipping sauce.
These days I'm not eating any traditional noodles that would be heavy in the carbohydrate department, so I was extremely excited to find Tofu Shirataki Noodles at one of my local markets (Ralphs)! These noodles are made from Tofu. They are gluten-free, have only 20 calories per 4 oz serving, 0.5 grams of fat, and only 3 grams of carbohydrates! Oh "Hiyashi Chuka" here I come!
You'll want to rinse the noodles in a colander with cold water. This will help wash away the juices that the noodles are packed in which, to me, smell like mushrooms.
Yesterday for lunch I grabbed whatever veggies I had on hand, which were a red bell pepper, cucumber, mushrooms, and celery. You can use whatever you like. My dipping sauce was made up of a tablespoon of Dijon Mustard and 1/2 a tablespoon of light soy sauce. Simple, easy, and best of all healthy. Enjoy!
If you'd like to make a donation toward relief in Japan, please click on the above Red Cross logo for more information
Entree, Japanese Cold Noodles, Shirataki, Soy Sauce, Tofu Noodles, bell pepper, celery, cucumber, dijon mustard, dipping sauce, lunch, mushroom in Family, Health, Photo, Recipe, Weigh-in Wednesday 
