With summer so hot everywhere these days, you feel like eating more cold food than ever. Japanese people know how to deal with brutal summer climate and therefore know how to cool down with food. These are some of the best summer Japanese dishes that are nice and cold, and you can eat them when you don’t have much appetite from the draining heat.
Hiyashi Chuka
Hiyashi Chuka or Reimen are cold Chinese style noodles with a sweet tangy sauce. Hiyashi Chuka is served at Ramen restaurants in Japan only during summer. Chuka Men (中華麺), wheat flour noodles that are the same kind in Ramen, are used in Hiyashi Chuka. The light and refreshing taste of this dish, on top of the coldness itself, make this the perfect food for hot summer days.
Get the recipe: Hiyashi Chuka
Pork Shabu Shabu Salad
Pork Shabu Shabu Salad is a perfect dish for a hot summer dinner. It is easy to cook with a minimal amount of cooking time using heat, and you can cook ahead earlier in the day when it’s not so hot.
Get the recipe: Pork Shabu Shabu Salad
Vanilla Purin
Vanilla Purin (バニラプリン) is a cold custard dessert in Japan. The name Purin comes from the word pudding, but it is not the same thing as the gooey pudding in the US at all. This custard pudding has more the feel of a jelly dish because of its gelatin content. It is a very basic sweet but everyone in Japan adores it. It is a great alternative dessert to ice cream in summer.
Get the recipe: Vanilla Purin
Somen Cold Noodle
Somen are Japanese dried vermicelli noodles that are usually eaten cold during summer. Japanese summer is so hot and humid that you often loose your appetite by the end of the day. When you don’t want to eat anything, cold Somen is very nice and easy to eat.
Get the recipe: Somen Cold Noodle
Hiyayakko Tofu
Hiyayakko is cold Tofu salad widely eaten in Japan during hot weather. Basic Hiyayakko is eaten simply with chopped green onion and Katsuo dried bonito flakes drizzled with soy sauce. If you like to eat Hiyayakko throughout the whole summer, that might be a bit boring. We will show you three more ways to arrange Hiyayakko here.
Get the recipe: Hiyayakko Tofu
Kakigori
Kakigori (かき氷) is shaved ice with flavored syrup like strawberry, lemon, melon, and simple syrup (sugar syrup). It is very popular during the hot and humid summer in Japan, and there are a lot of pop up Kakigori stores appearing in the season. Strawberry Kakigori is one of the most favorite flavors of all time.
Get the recipe: Strawberry and Milk Kakigori
