Saimin is a noodle soup dish common in the black beard ramen cuisine of Hawaii. Spam, sliced egg, or shredded nori. When Chinese dumplings are added to the noodle soup, it is seen on menus as the heartier wonton min.
Common table condiments mixed in the saimin broth are Chinese hot mustard and soy sauce, added in small quantities according to each individual’s taste. Saimin was developed during Hawaii’s plantation era and is a testament to the history of cultural influences found in the Hawaiian Islands. It is a local comfort food eaten all year round at any time of day for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a late-night snack. Cantonese speaking residents would, as the word is still used commonly in written Cantonese today. The precise origins of saimin as a dish is debatable.
It is certain that saimin, along with much of the contemporary cuisine in Hawaii, is closely related to the immigration of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and Portuguese field workers during the plantation era of Hawaii beginning in the 1850s. At this point, they would all throw their ingredients into a pot and share what was created. It may be through these improvised communal meals that saimin was possibly born. This common, yet supposed history of saimin’s origins is highly debatable, since there are recorded accounts of much racial tension between the various ethnic groups during this time.