Japanese Cold Ramen

Hiyashi-chuka (Japanese Cold Ramen noodles) is a common summer food in Japan, often served only in the summer at restaurants. Often times, when it is hot, your appetite goes down, but this dish will make you want to eat. Probably due to the rice vinegar in the sauce. Basically, it is ramen noodles cooked and chilled under cold running water, and topped with various toppings, mostly veggies and a little meat. My parents see this mostly as a lunch-type food, but we like to eat it for dinner as well. The sauce is made out of rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and water. Most common is the soy sauce vinegar sauce, but there are sesame seed sauces as well as miso sauces. All are good in their own way. Today's dish I made with celery, cucumber, tomatoes, deli ham, wakame (seaweed), and canned corn. Garnished with pickled red ginger and sesame seeds. I also like kanikama (imitation crab sticks), thin egg omlet cut into strips, bean sprouts, shiso leaves, and steamed chicken as my toppings when I have them. And I usually add some sort of rice on the side, today was onigiri (rice balls) and sometimes I'll do inari (sweetened bean curd pockets.) A very simple, and healthy meal.