Beat the Heat with Summer Dishes

This week with a tropical cyclone pushing a stifling heat wave into Japan, it’s hard to move, never mind cook a hot meal. In these scorching temperatures, you might lose your appetite, too.

But I don’t let the heat keep me out of the kitchen. It’s important to stay hydrated and eat balanced meals, if smaller portions. And it’s also a way to take advantage of summer favorites such as seasonal produce and dishes.

Summer Noodles

Chilled noodles are the way to go when you crave something cooling and easy to make. Udon, soba, and somen noodles require little cooking time, and the garnishes and sauces only require a little preparation on the cutting board.

A variation on soba is chasoba, noodles with the delicate scent of green tea. I like to serve mine with tsuyu dipping sauce with a chunk of rock ice, some julienned ginger, and pickles.

Chasoba for lunch

Pasta in the Frypan

An economical and filling food I can’t do without, even in summer, is pasta for cold salads and hot main dishes. While investigating ways to reduce cooking time and avoid heating up the kitchen, I discovered a great way that produces al dente pasta. Instead of putting a cauldron of water on the gas ring, just use your frypan. This method works with penne, rotini, and even spaghetti.

Pasta in the frypan from a cold start

Put the pasta in the pan, pour in cold water so that the pasta is covered, and turn the heat to medium-high. I stir my pasta and check it now and again for 8-10 minutes and top up the water as it boils. I save some of the starchy liquid to thicken sauces.

Minimal Cooking Pasta Sauce

Making tomato-based pasta sauce when I was a kid simmering, but on hot summer mornings, I whip up this simple coconut tomato sauce which requires minimal cooking for maximum flavor. In a sauce pan, I fried some chopped negi in a little olive oil until translucent, then added a can each of coconut milk and chopped tomatoes. I let it simmer for five minutes with a bay leaf, some ground pepper, basil, and oregano. When my frypan pasta was done, I reserved a cup of the starchy liquid, drained the pasta, and tossed it with a generous amount of the sauce and the pasta liquid. It turned out flavorful and the noodles were just the right amount of firm.

Quick-cooking tomato-coconut spaghetti

Quick Pickles

When I’m looking for cooking inspiration, I often glance at 節句の食材百科 Shokuzaihyakka, an encyclopedic website on produce, meat, and seafood. The seasonal vegetable calendar tells you what’s in season in a given month. And what’s in season is full of nutrition and flavor and great for quick pickles.

Crisp cucumbers, salt, vinegar, and orange zest

For my quick pickles, I often do cucumbers and experiment with the brine. The latest bowl of quick pickles has a few tablespoons of vinegar, a pinch of salt, and julienned mikan zest.

Pickles stay crisp in the brine

Other versions I’ve made have ginger to give the pickles a bit of snap. Carrots, daikon, and other hard vegetables work really well for this simple pickle. They keep for a few days in the fridge.

I noticed that since the summer temperatures rose, my gas bill is half of what it was in the spring since most of the dishes in my repertoire require little cooking.

How do you stay well fed and eat economically in the summer months?