Hamura Saimin Recipe is a specialty of Sichuan cuisine. It is a delicious, quick, and straightforward dish. The ingredients are all in tiny portions.
The Hamura Saimin is made from thin bean curd, ham, ginger, and vinegar which gives a fresh taste to the dish. In this recipe, thin bean curd is used. The thin bean curd is wrapped in a thin layer of rice flour and then fried.
Hamura saimin is a dish that has been around for years. It is one of the most popular dishes in Hawaii, and even people outside of the islands have fallen in love with it.
Why You Like this Recipe
The only things you need to make this tasty dish are instant ramen noodles, soy sauce, salt, sugar, green peas, eggs, and ham. Throw all these ingredients together into a pot and let them simmer! Then enjoy your delicious meal!
I love eating saimin, but it’s hard to find good vegan versions in my area. So why not try making some myself? This recipe is super simple and tasty. It only took me about 10 minutes from start to finish, so there was no waiting around either. Give this great recipe a shot yourself!
How To Make A Hamura Saimin
This is a recipe for Hawaiian-style Hamura Saimin noodles. This dish is often eaten at the Hamura Saimin Cafe on Oahu’s North Shore, but you can make it anywhere! You may also like our pork adobo recipe.
Ingredients to make a Hamura Saimin Noodles
- Water, 16 Cups (4 Quarts)
- Salt, 1 Tablespoon
- Dried Japanese Soba Noodles, 1 (8 Ounce) Package
- Chicken Broth, 4 Cups
- Fresh Ginger, Grated, 1 Tablespoon
- Soy Sauce, 2 Tablespoons
Toppings (as you prefer) in your Hamura Saimin Recipe
- Spam, Sliced
- Baked Ham Slices
- Roast Pork, Slices
- Carrot, Sliced
- Green Cabbage, Shredded
- Bok Choy, Chopped
- Mushroom, Sliced
- Green Peas
- Egg, Boiled, Scrambled or Fried
- Scallions, Chopped
- Small Shrimp, Cooked after Peeled and Deveined
NOODLES AND BROTH
- Noodles: If you can find Sun Noodles or S&S brand noodles, you’re in luck! These noodles are produced in Hawaii (Sun Noodles actually owns S&S now, and their factory is located in Honolulu). Ideally use noodles specifically labeled saimin noodles, which are made with wheat and egg (I ordered mine online). If you can’t find those, other wheat noodles such as ramen or fresh chow mein noodles will work too. Some people even like to swap the thinner saimin and ramen noodles for thick udon noodles, though that’s not typical.
- Broth: Store-bought chicken broth is a great shortcut to making saimin broth. It’s light (not fatty and rich) and clear, and easy to build additional flavor to enhance it.
- Instant Dashi Powder: Dashi is a popular type of stock in Japanese cuisine. It’s made with kombu (edible kelp) and bonito flakes (dried, shaved fish flakes). Instant dashi powder is a wonderful time saver instead of making dashi from scratch (which isn’t hard but it is much simpler to use the instant granules). I use Shimaya Awase dashi powder but Ajinomoto HonDashi is a popular option you can try as well. Here in the saimin broth, the instant dashi powder provides a bit of that flavor of the sea that sets saimin apart from ramen.
- Dried Shiitake Mushrooms: Dried shiitake mushrooms provide additional umami flavor to the broth. If you don’t have any or can’t find any, you can certainly skip them, but I think they pack a lot of intensity to help build up the broth without making it from scratch.
- Dried Shrimp: Dried shrimp can be pricey and a bit hard to find. I get mine from a local Chinese market. This ingredient is optional, but adds more shrimp flavor (common in saimin) and generally more umami and salty flavors to the broth.
TOPPINGS
Keep in mind that saimin is extremely versatile and you can adjust the toppings noted below to your taste. Add the ones you like, omit those you don’t like or can’t find.
- Scallions: Green onions are a typical topping for bowls of steaming hot saimin.
- Pork: Matchsticks of ham or spam are perfect for garnishing saimin. You can also use Chinese roast pork (char siu) sliced or cut into matchsticks, or a combination of ham or spam and char siu.
- Eggs: Eggs are another optional but delicious topping choice. Either top each bowl with one or two halves of a peeled boiled egg (depending on preference) or with slices of a thin egg omelet (a bit more typical for saimin). If making an omelet, use two eggs to serve four people (half an egg per serving).
- Kamaboko: Kamaboko, or steamed fish cakes, are sliced and used for topping noodle soups such as saimin and ramen. There are differences in the types of fish cakes used, as noted in the section above. Depending on where you live, you may not be able to find the kind used in Hawaii (Uzumaki), so you can swap for the other kind most often used in ramen (narutomaki) if you need to. Note that I ordered mine online as it was not locally available to me. Keep in mind that fish cakes can be an acquired taste. I like them, but don’t love them. My sister doesn’t like them at all. They can have a slight sweetness to them as well.
Instructions to Hamura Saimin Recipe
Step 1:
Water and salt should be boiled in a large pot. Add soba noodles and boil for 5 to 6 minutes, until they become translucent. Drain the water and set aside. Rinse with warm water.
Step 2:
You will need a large pot. Bring just to a boil the chicken broth and ginger in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Reduce the heat. Soy sauce and your favorite toppings; cook for another 5 minutes or until toppings are ready. Remove from heat.
Step 3:
To serve proportionately, place cooked soba noodles into a large soup bowl; pour broth (with toppings) over the top and serve hot.
EXPERT TIPS
If your fresh or frozen noodles are sold in individual packets (mine were), that’s fine. It means they’re already perfectly portioned out!
In that situation, what I like to do instead of boiling four portions all at once is to boil one portion at a time according to package directions (for me it was 30 to 60 seconds). I then use a small strainer or spider skimmer to remove the cooked noodles from the boiling water and transfer directly into the serving bowl. Then repeat with the remaining portions.
You can modify the broth to your taste. Dried shrimp and instant dashi powder will also add some saltiness. If your broth is already salted versus low-sodium, adjust the amount of soy sauce (start with less and add more later) to achieve your desired result.
Recipe!
Hamura Saimin Recipe!
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- pot
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 16 cup Water 16 Cups (4 Quarts)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 8 oz Dried Japanese Soba Noodles 1 (8 Ounce) Package
- 4 cup Chicken Broth 4 Cups
- 1 tbsp Fresh Ginger Grated
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
Toppings (as you prefer) in your Saimin Recipe
- Spam Sliced
- Baked Ham Slices
- Roast Pork Slices
- Carrot Sliced
- Green Cabbage Shredded
- Bok Choy Chopped
- Mushroom Sliced
- Green Peas
- Egg Boiled, Scrambled or Fried
- Scallions Chopped
- Small Shrimp Cooked after Peeled and Deveined
- NOTE: Not all toppings were included in Nutrition Counts
Instructions
- Water and salt should be boiled in a large pot. Add soba noodles and boil for 5 to 6 minutes, until they become translucent. Drain the water and set aside. Rinse with warm water.
- You will need a large pot. Bring just to a boil the chicken broth and ginger in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Reduce the heat. Soy sauce and your favorite toppings; cook for another 5 minutes or until toppings are ready. Remove from heat.
- To serve proportionately, place cooked soba noodles into a large soup bowl; pour broth (with toppings) over the top and serve hot.