Cup of Yum
1. Gather all the ingredients.

To Poach the Chicken

1. Slice 1 knob ginger into thin slabs and cut 2 green onions/scallions into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces.
2. To a pot, add 4 cups water and ½ lb chicken breast.
3. Next, add the sliced ginger and green onions to the pot. Finally, add 2 Tbsp sake and 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
4. Bring the pot of water and chicken to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, skim off the foam and scum.
5. Now, lower the heat to low and cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar. Gently cook the chicken for 15 minutes.

To Prepare the Toppings

1. In the meantime, peel the skin of 1 Japanese or Persian cucumber in stripes by alternating peeled and unpeeled strips down the length of the cucumber. Slice the cucumber thinly.
2. Cut the sliced cucumber into julienned strips. Cut 1 tomato in half and thinly slice the halves. Transfer them to a plate.

To Make the Sesame Miso Sauce

1. Grind 2 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
2. In a bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine 2 Tbsp miso, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1½ Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), and 2 Tbsp sugar.
3. Add the ground sesame seeds and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil to the bowl. Mix it all together until smooth.
4. After 15 minutes of cooking the chicken, the poaching liquid is now a flavorful chicken stock. Reserve ⅓ cup chicken stock/broth and gradually stir it into the sauce ingredients until well combined. Set aside.

To Shred the Chicken

1. Remove the chicken breast from the pot and shred it using two forks. Transfer it to the plate with the cucumber and tomato.

To Cook the Noodles

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. With your fingers, loosen and separate 2 servings hiyashi chuka noodles and add them to the boiling water.
2. Cook according to the package instructions. When done, remove the noodles from the pot and plunge them into a bowl of iced water. This stops the cooking and chills the noodles.

To Serve

1. Drain the chilled noodles well and serve them on individual plates. Place the toppings on the noodles and sprinkle with extra sesame seeds. Garnish with 1 sprig cilantro (coriander) (optional) and drizzle with the Sesame Miso Sauce before serving.

To Store

1. You can keep the sauce and toppings in airtight containers separately, but I recommend preparing the noodles right before you serve. Store in the refrigerator for 3 days and in the freezer for a month.