Japanese Cold Ramen

For hot summer days, some of us crave for "cold" food to cool us down.  Japanese cold ramen is one of those foods.  I believe it is a Japanese version of Chinese cold noodle.  According to my husband who used to live in Japan for a few years, Japanese eateries serve this ramen noodle with ice cubes underneath the noodle on the serving plate.  I did it once at home, it was kind of interesting and unique.  Without the ice, it is still perfectly a good meal.

I have always use store bought cold ramen noodle kit package, they come in fresh noodle package located in the refrigerator section or dry cold ramen along with other dry ramens in most Asian markets.  There are a few fresh cold ramen Japanese brands but I only know of one dry cold ramen brand (see photos below).  Making the noodle sauce from scratch is actually quite easy - peanut sauce, hot sauce, or sweet vinegar sauce, and more.  I believe peanut sauce is more popular or well known compared to the others.  I will update this post once I have tried it myself.

Chayote Squash with Vermicelli Noodle

This is definitely a comfort food for me.  My mom was a great cook and she made this dish on a regular basis at home many years ago.  I never had the exact recipe from her so I made up my own, especially on the amount of ingredients but this recipe is very forgiven, no matter how much ingredient you use, it still tastes good, in my experience.  To label it as a Chinese or Indonesian dish is a toss up, I don't exactly know the origin of it, perhaps it is a Chinese-Indonesian home-cook dish.  I do not remember eating it in any Asian restaurants as far as I know.  Chayote squash is also popular in Mexican or South American cuisines.  Again, it is a simple and very easy to cook recipe.  My family loves it whenever I make this dish.

  

Korean-style Zha Jiang Mien (Noodle), aka Jiajangmyun

I have been missing from my blog for a while now due to other commitments, aside from family - working full-time and taking classes in Hospitality Management Program at a local community college.  My goal is to be able to continue updating my blog on a regular basis or as often as possible.  So, here is my next recipe.

A Korean friend of mine made this noodle dish and I liked it a lot.  This is a Korean version of the Chinese Zha Jiang Mien that is very popular in Korea.  The recipe below is from my friend, Maria Lee.  It is a quick one-dish meal for either lunch or dinner - it has carbohydrate, protein and vegetable in it.  Serve with picked radish as a side dish.

Asian Pasta

This fusion Asian pasta is very simple and easy to make, the best part is you can make it ahead of time (overnight even) if you have time constraint.  It's sweet and spicy with nutty texture.  You can delete the chili if preferred, it won't alter the overall taste.  This "cold" noodle dish goes well with summer BBQ party or picnic, or as a potluck dish.