Chilled Somen noodles rescued us to survive through the heatwave in Brisbane. It has been too hot to do anything outside in 35 to nearly 40 celsius degree heat. Our air con has been on all day since last week and we have been eating cold food and the chilled somen noodles is one of the best cold Japanese food!
Somen noodles are Japanese wheat noodles like Udon but it is very thin. It is probably thinner than angel hair spaghetti noodles and usually served cold. Because it is usually served cold, chilled somen noodles are the noodle dish Japanese people often eat in summer. My mom loved to cook and eat chilled somen because she could cook in bulk and serve on a big serving plate to feed three always hungry girls and my dad. We use a small dipping bowl to dip the somen into the sauce and eat.
I had thinly sliced Atsuyaki tamago (egg), sliced Okura, Mizuna, radish, and bean sprouts that I bought from a local market for the topping. Other topping suggestions are simmered shiitake mushrooms in sweet soy sauce, cooked shrimp, thinly sliced cucumber, or shiso leaves. Somen is also served with “Yakumi”. Yakumi is like spices that are used often in Japanese cuisine to spice up and add more flavour to the dishes. For example, I used grated ginger, finely chopped negi (shallots). I did not have it so I could not add but if I had, I definitely would have added grated wasabi too.
My daughter said when I finished to take photograph, my Somen noodle was nothing like grandma’s somen noodles because I served the somen noodles differently. My mother always cooked the noodles in batch, served on one big plate with a few different plates of toppings and yakumi. We then have a little dipping sauce bowl and add toppings and yakumi, then take some noodle from the big plate and dip them in a dipping sauce bowl and eat it with toppings and yakumi.
I served individually with toppings and yakumi already in the same bowl and poured the dipping sauce over the somen noodles. Eating at home, it really does not matter how you plate the noodles. It is delicious anyway. If you have any other nice topping suggestions, Ppease let me know, I would love to try 😀
Ingredients
- 90 g Dry somen noodles one bundle of the brand I buy is 90g
Dipping sauce
- 1/2 cups of dashi stock you can make this 1/2 cup water adding 1/2 tsp dashi powder
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tbs mirin
Toppings
- 1 atsuyaki tamago
- 2 okura
- 2 radish
- bean sprouts and mizuna leaves to garnish
Yakumi
- ginger 3cm piece grated
- 1 tbs finely chopped negi shallots
- wasabi optional
Instructions
Make the dipping sauce
- Boil 1/2 cup of water in a small sauce pan, add 1/2 tsp dashi powder, soy sauce and mirin. Turn the heat off and cool the dipping sauce completely then refrigerate to chill.
Prepare the toppings and yakumi
- Slice the atsuyaki tamago 5mm thick, slice the okura and the radish thinly, cut the bean sprouts about 2-3 cm long and wash the mizuna leaves.
- Grate the ginger and cut the negi shallots finely.
Cook Somen noodle
- Boil water in a large stock pan, add 1 bundle of somen noodle and cook for 2 minutes.
- Drain the water and under the running water, wash and cool down the somen noodle.
- Serve the noodle with a few ice cubes, top with sliced atsuyaki tamago, okura, radish, mizuna, bean sprouts, negi shallots, and ginger.
- Pour the dipping sauce over or you can serve the noodles and dipping sauce separately.
pablo says
amazing recipes!!
Chopstick Chronicles says
thank you!
Chopstick Chronicles says
thank you! 😀
Melissa says
This looks delicious!! I definitely need some chilled noodles out here, it has been 45+ for the last 2 weeks!!
Mel xx || Loads of Lifestyle
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Oh Melissa! 45+!? where are you? you definitely need this!
Doug says
Funny 🙂
Prep 10 hours Total 10 hours
That’s a lonnnng time !
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
OMG! Thank you Doug san, it will be the time if you are making the noodle from scratch….. I used store bought which does not take this long to cook 😀
Doug says
Shihoko-San:
I will definitely prepare you recipe this summer (June-August in the US.)
Your photos looks good enough to eat !
Sort of reminds me of “Zaru-Soba”
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Arigatou Doug san 😀 Yes, this is very similar to Zaru soba, just different noodle 🙂