Japanese Glass Noodle Salad, or what we call Harusame Salad (春雨サラダ) in Japan, is known as a Chinese-style (中華風) salad due to the Chinese origin of glass noodles and the use of sesame oil in the salad dressing. Here, you have tangles of slippery chewy noodles, crisp vegetables, and salty ham, all tossed in a tangy sesame soy vinaigrette. It’s quick and easy to put together that you’d love the salad for its simplicity.
What Does Harusame Mean?
Harusame is the Japanese name for cellophane noodles or glass noodles. Japanese character kanji for Harusame is 春雨, which means spring (春) and rain (雨). Such a poetic name for noodles, isn’t it? I also found that Harusame came to Japan from China during the Kamakura period (1185-1333) as a vegan food for monks (Shojin Ryori 精進料理), and we’ve been using this ingredient for almost 800 years! What’s interesting is this noodle has a few different names in Chinese.
粉条 [fěntiáo] in China 粉絲 [ fěnsī] especially in Beijing, China 冬粉 [dōngfěn] in Taiwan
In literal translations, the Chinese names for cellophane or glass noodles refer to thin or delicate ribbons or cold noodles. Very different from 春雨. After a little bit more research, I learned that Harusame 春雨 was named in kanji character by the Japanese because the noodles look like gentle spring rain. They sure look like spring showers after they are cooked, don’t they? Unlike Chinese glass noodles that are commonly made of mung beans (緑豆), most Japanese glass noodles are made of both sweet potato and potato starch in Nara prefecture and they are usually thicker than the Chinese counterparts.
Harusame Salad – Versatile Healthy Recipe
Besides glass noodles, Harusame Salad commonly uses 3 other main ingredients: julienned cucumbers, carrots, and ham. Variations may include wakame seaweed, shredded egg omelette, tomatoes, bean sprout, and more. You can easily customize the salad without the use of ham or eggs for a vegetarian or vegan version. Shredded baked or grilled tofu is an easy way to sneak in some protein and substance. These glass noodles are made from water and starch, such as mung bean, yam, and potato starch, so they are naturally gluten-free. Depending on the ingredients, the texture, thickness, and cooking instruction of the glass noodles can be different. Make sure to follow the package instructions on how to prepare the noodles.
Tangy and Delicious Sesame Soy Vinaigrette
The dressing for this salad is usually made with soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and sugar. It’s a common combination of dressings in Japanese cuisine. Tangy, salty, slightly sweet, this simple formula works incredibly well to liven up any salad. I want to discuss sugar here. I sometimes receive questions from my readers asking if they can remove sugar completely from the Japanese recipe. I understand many of you (including myself) watch how much sugar we consume in our diet, so it’s an important topic I’d like to cover. In Japanese cuisine and many other Asian cuisines, you will find that the basic principle of flavoring a dish often covers ‘Five Tastes’: salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami. This concept works as a guide in working with each ingredient and how they interact with each other in cooking. With the use of salty and sour ingredients such as soy sauce, miso, and rice vinegar, sugar is added to balance out the salty and sour tastes and to improve the overall flavors, making the dish more palatable. The right amount of sweetness will help hit the note perfectly. If you are concern about the use of sugar, you can definitely use other healthier alternatives such as honey, maple syrup or raw sugar to replace granulated sugar. As the majority of home cooks in the world use granulated sugar, I create my recipes using it. I hope you give this Harusame salad a try and find out the secret to balancing ‘Five Tastes’ in Japanese cooking. Also, you’d be happy to know that the noodles do not get stick together after being dressed in the vinaigrette, so you can prep the salad ahead for your next potluck and home party. Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
