Vegan Cold Tomato Ramen (Hiyashi Ramen)
Now that winter is coming to an end, a new culinary season begins for us too. Don't worry – comforting home cooking isn't going anywhere, but we're suddenly craving crispy vegetables, light sauces, and yes, cold dishes too. Top of the list: Hiyashi Ramen, a Japanese summer dish we didn't know we'd been missing.
What is Hiyashi Ramen?
Hiyashi Ramen is a Japanese cold noodle dish featuring chilled ramen noodles and colorful toppings. Hiyashi Chuka – literally meaning "cold Chinese-style dish" – is the name for Chinese-style noodles served Japanese-style.
What makes this dish so special?
What makes this dish so delicious is the balance between... well, pretty much everything: cold, perfectly al dente noodles, crisp fresh toppings, and a sweet-and-sour sauce. The real highlight of our recipe is the tomato-based dressing. We used Voelkel's tomato juice for it, which gives the dressing a fruity depth that pairs beautifully with the cold noodles. Thanks to the organic quality of the tomatoes Voelkel uses for their juice, the dressing develops an intensely rich flavor. Tahini, sesame oil, and a splash of rice vinegar round it all out. Easy peasy and ready in five minutes!
Toppings: Use what you've got.
The great thing about Hiyashi Ramen is how well they adapt to whatever's waiting in your fridge. Sugar snap peas, edamame, bell pepper, cucumber, radishes, avocado, or pickled ginger – all fair game.
Does it work for meal prep?
The dressing can easily be made the day before – the longer the garlic and ginger have to infuse, the more aromatic it becomes. The vegetables can also be pre-cut and stored in the fridge. The noodles, however, should be cooked and rinsed just before serving so they don't stick together. If you want to play it safe: simply toss them with a splash of sesame oil after rinsing.
If this has you craving even more ramen recipes: you'll also find classic versions like Vegan Tan Tan Ramen and Vegan Miso Ramen right here on the blog.
Vegan Cold Tomato Ramen (Hiyashi Ramen)
Ingredients
For the noodles:
- 400 g (14 oz) ramen noodles
For the tomato dressing:
- 2 garlic cloves
- 25 g (1 oz) ginger
- 500 ml (2 cups) tomato juice (e.g. from Voelkel)
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2–3 tbsp agave syrup
- salt
- pepper
For the topping:
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 carrot
- 0.25 cucumber
- 0.5 yellow bell pepper
- 100 g (3.5 oz) bean sprouts
- 1 spring onion
- 0.5 nori sheet
- 100 g (3.5 oz) edamame
- 1 corn on the cob
- 200 g (7 oz) baked tofu or vegan mince
To serve:
- sesame seeds
- chili oil
Instructions
- For the dressing, finely grate garlic and ginger. In a bowl, whisk together tomato juice, tahini, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, agave syrup, garlic, and ginger until a creamy, smooth sauce forms. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut carrot, cucumber, and bell pepper into thin julienne strips. Slice or dice tomatoes. Rinse bean sprouts. Cut spring onion into rings. Use scissors to cut nori sheet into thin strips.
- Cook ramen noodles in salted water according to package instructions. Immediately after cooking, rinse in ice-cold water, drain well, and set aside. In the same cooking water, cook edamame according to package instructions.
- Fry baked tofu or vegan mince in a pan with a little oil. Then add corn to the pan and fry as well. Cut tofu into strips and cut corn off the cob.
- Divide tomato dressing between the bowls. Arrange noodles, tofu or mince, vegetables, and bean sprouts on top. Serve with sesame seeds and a drizzle of chili oil.
