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Harusame Salad (Glass Noodle Salad)

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August 21, 2025

Harusame salad is very popular in Japan in the summer because of its refreshing and sour properties. The glass noodle salad comes with crab sticks, cucumber, egg, and wood ear mushrooms, and is seasoned with a tangy, nutty, and smoky (slightly spicy) dressing.

I have been making harusame salad ever since I first tasted it in Tokyo, eons ago! I love its bright, sour, and cleansing taste, and how healthy it is. I honestly don't know why I never thought of sharing this recipe on my blog as it makes a regular appearance on my menu. Well, here it finally is and I think you will really enjoy it!

There are quite a few steps needed to make this glass noodle salad, but overall it's very quick and easy – and incredibly delicious. Most ingredients are easy to find and the salad is filling enough to be served as a main, or as a delicious side to other Japanese or Chinese dishes.

Harusame Salad Ingredients

Japanese cucumber: The cucumber brings a refreshing and cooling element to the glass noodle salad.
Wood ear mushrooms: Wood ear mushrooms are a gelatinous and crunchy type of brown fungus that have a mild earthy and nutty flavor.
Crab sticks: Crab sticks, called kani kamaboko, is a type of imitation crab that's used in dishes such as California rolls and seaweed salads. They are made of whitefish paste, sugar, crab extract, soybean protein, and different types of seasonings. If you can find higher quality crab sticks (they look a lot closer to actual crab meat), I recommend getting those as they taste closer to crab and are less sweet.
Egg: A large egg to make the dish more filling and to also add a lovely pop of yellow.
Harusame (glass noodles): Glass noodles look very similar to vermicelli but are made with mung bean or potato starch, as opposed to durum wheat. They are also tougher and chewier than vermicelli, making them great for salads since they take much longer to get soggy.
Green onions: Chopped green onions add a refreshing crunch and slight bitterness to the salad.
Dressing: A mix of doubanjiang, rice vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and toasted sesame oil.

Alternative Ingredients

Celery instead of cucumber: Celery also has a refreshing crunch and a subtle sweetness.
Ham instead of crab sticks: Many glass noodle salad recipes in Japan use ham cut into strips instead of crab sticks.
Smoked tofu or tofu cutlet instead of crab sticks and egg: To make this dish vegan, use smoked tofu or tofu cutlets, cut into thin strips.
Miso paste instead of doubanjiang. If you cannot find doubanjiang, or cannot handle spicy food, use miso paste instead.

How to Make Harusame Salad

Prep the ingredients. Slice the cucumber into strips, soak the wood ear mushrooms and slice them, shred the crab sticks, and chop the green onions.
Cook the egg. Whisk and cook the egg, shaping it into a rectangle. Transfer the omelet to a cutting board and slice into thin strips.
Rehydrate the glass noodles. Place the glass noodles in a bowl of hot water and leave for about 5 minutes, until they are rehydrated. The noodles should be tender but not soggy (slightly firm is good). Drain them and add them to the bowl.
Mix the ingredients for the dressing. Add the doubanjan, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, water, and toasted sesame oil. Keep whisking until the salt and sugar have dissolved.
Toss the ingredients and dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat evenly. Season with a bit of salt if needed. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Recipe Tips

Test the glass noodles a few times until you are happy with the texture. Glass noodles overcook very quickly so it's important to keep an eye on them. Generally, it's recommended that they do not soak in hot water for more than 3 to 5 minutes. Tasting the noodles every 30 seconds or so will guarantee the best texture and doneness.

Storage

The salad can be kept in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, or transferred to an airtight storage container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

I don't recommend freezing this glass noodle salad as the cucumber will get soggy and the noodles mushy.

How to Serve this Glass Noodle Salad

Other noodle salads you might like to try:

Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

Slice the cucumber. Place the cucumber on a cutting board and slice it into thin bite size sticks. Set aside
Soak and slice the mushrooms. Soak the wood ear mushrooms in hot water and leave for about 5 minutes, until they have rehydrated. Slice into strips. Set aside.
Shred the crab sticks. Use your fingers to shred the crabsticks by pulingl on the strands. Set aside.
Cook and slice the omelet. Add the vegetable oil to a small frying pan over medium high heat. Add the whisked egg and cook for 1-2 minutes, shaping the omelet into a rectangle. Transfer the omelet to a cutting board and slice into thin strips. Set aside.
Prep the glass noodles. Fill a bowl with boiling hot water, big enough to hold the glass noodles. Place the glass noodles in and leave for a few minutes – usually 3 to 5 minutes – until they are rehydrated (follow instructions on the package).
Drain the noodles. Drain and rinse under cold water until the noodles are chilled. Drain them well (lightly press on them to remove excess water) and transfer them to a mixing bowl.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk the doubanjiang, rice vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and toasted sesame oil. Keep whisking until the salt and sugar have dissolved.
Make the salad and serve. Add the cucumber, mushrooms, crabsticks, and omelet, and toss well. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. Season with salt, if needed, and serve at room temperature.