Hawaiian Saimin Soup
"An inexpensive noodle and broth soup, saimin is the favorite local fast food of the Hawaiian islands (also considered the national dish of Hawaii). It is considered the supreme comfort food of the Islands, eaten at any time of day. You can find this soup at snack bars, coffee shops, and even on the McDonald's menu (in Hawaii only). Saimin is basically the same thing as ramen, a Japanese noodle soup. In Hawaii, you will get the real thing, fresh, thin white noodles in a clear broth with green onions, kamaboko (fish cakes), and sometimes ham or char siu (pork). Some people add chicken, eggs, shrimp, and whatever else is desired. The Saimin is eaten very hot with chopsticks or spoons, and the broth is then drunk from the bowl. Do not be afraid to slurp, as there is simply no quiet way to eat Saimin. The prep time really varies, depending on what toppings you choose. Enjoy!"
photo by K9 Owned
- Ready In:
- 25mins
- Ingredients:
- 17
- Serves:
-
3-4
ingredients
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Basic Saimin
- 16 cups water (4 quarts)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 (8 ounce) package dried japanese soba noodles
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
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Suggested Toppings
- Spam, sliced
- baked ham slices
- roast pork, slices
- carrot, sliced
- green cabbage, shredded
- bok choy, chopped
- mushroom, sliced
- green peas
- egg, Scrambled or fried
- green onions or scallion, sliced
- cooked small shrimp, peeled and deveined
directions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, add water and salt; bring to a boil. Add soba noodles and boil 4 to 6 minutes until al dente. Remove from heat, drain, and rinse under warm, running water.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, add chicken broth and ginger; bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add soy sauce and your favorite toppings; simmer for 5 minutes longer or until toppings are cooked. Remove from heat.
- Place cooked soba noodles in a large soup bowl; spoon broth mixture (with toppings) over the top and serve.
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Reviews
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Having grown up in Hawaii, I felt compelled to write this review. First of all, saimin can't possibly be Hawaii's "National dish" -- Hawaii, after all, is a state of the US, and not a nation. Secondly, japanese somen noodles (I am ethnically japanese) are not all that similar to true saimin noodles -- I understand that most readers, including myself, cannot find saimin noodles on the continental US, so finding a substitute was necessary -- so know that, even though what you are creating with this recipe may be delicious, it it not real saimin. If you do have a chance to visit Hawaii, visit a traditional saimin shop and you will understand.
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This is a great dish for those "Clean Out The Refrigerator" nights. I made this entirely from things in my fridge, freezer, pantry and garden. For add-ins, I chose: scrambled egg, shredded chicken breast, snow peas, bok choy, mushrooms and scallions. I feel like I got all of the veggies I needed to have a balanced meal without feeling like I ate a pile of bland, steamed veggies. The ginger and soy really wake up the chicken broth, and make this something special. The only thing I might change is to add a bit of chile-garlic sauce, to give it a slight bite. Even without it, however, this is a fabulous, easy, versatile dish- well worth keeping in your back pocket. Thanks for posting! -
We made this soup tonight for my son-in-law's birthday. We followed the base recipe exactly, then added bok choy, green onions, scrambled eggs (dropped in), and light spam (lightly fried). It was delicious! We will definately make it again! Thanks so much for a super easy recipe, that doesn't disappoint!<br/><br/>Kate
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This was such a simple yet tasty soup. The broth is so tasty, I'm so glad I tried it. I topped ours with some leftover cubed beef and sliced button mushrooms, and it was really good (even tough those ingredients don't photograph very well). Thanks, Nif. Made for SWT 2018 (Hawaii). -
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Good and easy recipe to make from scratch. It is nice to know I can just whip this up. I hadn't tried spam since I was a kid. Made for ZWT7.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Nif_H
Canada
I love great food and I particularly like trying cuisines new to me! Although I don't prepare as much food as I used to, creating in my kitchen is still one of my favourite things to do. Enjoy!
