This is a noodle-free take on the classic Japanese hiyashi chuka dish. Light and low in calories, these cold ramen zoodles made with zucchini, carrots and cucumber, are tangy, cleansing and incredibly refreshing!
This Cold Ramen Zoodles recipe was created in connection with my appointment as a contributor to the Nakano Natural and Seasoned Rice Vinegar.
Cold Ramen Zoodles (Hiyashi Chuka)
This is exactly what I needed after a weekend of carb loaded meals! Something light, cleansing and with lots of bright and tangy pops of flavors.
Hiyashi chuka is a popular Japanese summer dish consisting of ramen noodles that are topped with various ingredients such as cucumber, tomatoes, eggs and ham. It’s like a chilled noodle salad that comes with a sweet and tangy sauce packed with umami goodness. I’m substituting the noodles for zoodles for this recipe to scrap the carbs and go super light with the dish. There is nothing more refreshing than a bowl of cold ramen zoodles when the body craves something healthy, cooling and satisfying!
Making tare sauce (a general term in Japanese which means dipping sauce) is very easy: you need soy sauce, sesame oil, a little sugar and rice vinegar. Make sure you use plain rice vinegar for this – such as Nakano’s Splash-On Original rice vinegar – to get the flavor of the tare just right (more tangy than sweet). Nakano has a variety of flavored vinegars which is why they have the word Seasoned on the bottle. But their Original version is considered plain.
I’m using a mix of cucumber, zucchini and carrots to make the zoodles but you can swap one veggie for another if you prefer daikon or beets. However, I wouldn’t recommend using sweet potatoes as their natural sweetness might ruin the delicate flavor combination of the dish.
The toppings are also interchangeable. For this ramen zoodle recipe, I’ve chosen red bell peppers, eggs and tomatoes, but you can top the zoodles with just about anything you like! Ham, pork, shredded cabbage, shrimp, even sliced apples. The options truly are endless here. This is a quick and healthy recipe your whole family will love and chances are that it will become part of your weekly summer meal rotation! Get your kids involved – teach them how to make zoodles (using a spiralizer is so much fun!) and let them choose their own favorite toppings.
Other light and low-carb recipes:
- Easy orange chicken
- Healthier cream of cauliflower soup
- Japanese caprese salad
- Kani salad (crab salad)
- Watermelon, strawberry and tomatillo salad
Did you like this Cold Ramen Zoodles Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
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Cold Ramen Zoodles (Hiyashi Chuka)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 2 people 1x
- Category: Vegetarian
- Method: Spiralizer
- Cuisine: Japanese
Description
This is a noodle-free take on the classic Japanese hiyashi chuka dish. Light and low in calories, these chilled cold ramen zoodles made with zucchini, carrots and cucumber, are tangy, cleansing and incredibly refreshing!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 eggs (lightly whisked)
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 carrot (peeled)
- 1/2 English cucumber
- 1 red bell pepper (seeded and thinly sliced into sticks (julienned))
- 1 tomato (sliced into wedges)
Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Nakano Original rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a microwave safe bowl. Stir and microwave for 20 seconds – microwave for an additional 15 seconds if the sugar hasn’t melted. Stir well and set aside.
- Over a cutting board or other flat surface, spiralize the zucchini, carrot and cucumber on the thin setting of the spiralizer.
- Add red bell pepper to the vegetables and grab one or two paper towels. Gently press the vegetables to remove excess water. Toss them a few times and repeat until most of the water has been absorbed. This is to prevent the dish from becoming too watery.
- Divide vegetables among two bowls and set aside.
- In a small pan over medium heat, add olive oil. When the oil is hot, add eggs and lightly season with salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the omelet is cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and slice into thin strips.
- Add eggs and tomatoes to the vegetables and top with the tare sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
This Cold Ramen Zoodles Recipe Is:
High in potassium
High in riboflavin
Very high in vitamin A
High in vitamin B6
Very high in vitamin C
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 282
- Sugar: 19.8 g
- Sodium: 969.8 mg
- Fat: 13.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 4.6 g
- Protein: 11.6 g
- Cholesterol: 186 mg
You say to make sure to use plain rice vinegar, but you are using seasoned rice vinegar. Which one should I use? And what is the device you are using to make the noodles?
Thank you, Joan
Hi Joan! although it says seasoned on the label, this is Nakano’s original version (Nakano has a variety of flavored vinegars of that series, which is why they have the word Seasoned on the bottle). I’m using the Veggetti Spiralizer – because I have a small kitchen, I don’t have the space for a big stand up one. It’s been great though, only $15 and it does the job nicely!