Somen (Japanese silk noodle) post 1: the simple recipes

Somen (素麺, literally "pure / plain noodle") is simple white Japanese noodle made from wheat flour and salt, preserved dried with vegetable oil (not so visible or feel-able though). In the definition by JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard), somen are thin noodles with diameter less than 1.3mm, hiya mugi 1.3-1.7mm and udon with diameter bigger than 1.7mm.

In this post, I would like to introduce the most simple recipes of somen.

1. Under-10-minute recipe

Ingredients:

1. Somen (Japanese wheat-based silk noodle), 100g of dried noodle / 1 serving.

2. Tsuyu sauce (Japanese dark-coloured sauce

made from kombu seaweed and katsuo fish): 80ml / 1 serving in case of normal mentusyu, 40ml / 1 serving in case of thickened tsuyu used for cooking.

The picture on the right shows a sample of mentsuyu can be found at 7eleven convenient store nearly everywhere in Japan.

3. Green onion: 5-10g / 1 serving.

4. Water + Ice cubes, for cooling the noodle as well as for the sauce.

Cooking steps:

Step 1: Boil the water (1L for 1 serving, 1.2L for 2 servings etc.), then boil the noodle at medium or low heat for the time written on the pack. In my case, I boil for 1.5 minutes at medium heat. Watch over the foams. Use chopsticks to check and prevent sticking.

Step 2: Bring boiled noodle to the strainer, rinse in cool water for a few seconds. Then put the strainer with noodle into a bowl of iced water.

Step 3: Strain water from the noodle, at the same time pull the noodle straight very gently.

Then, make a small U-shaped or round-shaped mass of noodle ready for serving.

100g of dried noodle after boiled can be gained as 250g.

Step 4: Dilute the tsuyu sauce with cool drinking water. I made it at 80ml mentsuyu + 40ml water or 40ml thickened tsuyu + 80ml water. You can add small ice cube into either sauce of noodle if you like it cooler.

Step 5: Slice the green onion and serve with sauce. If you like wasabi, you can either use wasabi paste in tube (basically mostly horse radish + 5% wasabi) or you can rub real fresh wasabi.

That's the most simple one!

2. 15-minute recipe number 1

Ingredients:

1. Somen: 100g dried noodle / 1 serving

2. 3 medium shrimps / 1 serving

3. Green onion: 10g / 1 serving

4. Cucumber: 40g (half of a medium sized cucumber) / 1 serving

5. Ooba (green shiso, beefsteak plant) 3 leaves / 1 serving

6. Lemon 3 small slices / 1 serving

7. Fresh shiitake 1 mushroom / 1 serving

8. Tsuyu sauce: 80ml / 1 serving in case of normal mentusyu, 40ml / 1 serving in case of thickened tsuyu used for cooking.

9. Water + ice cubes.

Step 1: Wash and strain leaves, cucumber, and onion.

Step 2: Boil the shrimps for 3 minutes at medium heat. Boil shiitake for 1 minute at medium heat. If shrimps are not peeled yet, then peel them, and take away their dark-coloured intestines.

Step 3: Slice the onion into small pieces, cut the shiitake into 3-4 parts. Cut cucumber into 3-5cm-long, thin slices.

Step 4: Boil the water, boil the noodle like in the 1st chapter.

Step 5: Strain and cool noodle with ice. Plate noodle with ice.

Step 6: Delute tsuyu with cool drinking water to taste, serve in small cup. Same ratio as shown in the 1st chapter.

Step 7: Plate ooba leaves, shrimps, shiitake, lemon slices. Serve cool.

Put small portions of everything into sauce cup and enjoy it cool.

3. 15-minute recipe number 2

Ingredients:

1. Somen: 100g dried noodle / 1 serving

2. 1 medium shrimps / 1 serving

3. Wakame: 30g / 1 serving

4. Cucumber: 80g (1 medium sized cucumber) / 1 serving

5. Boiled octopus 50g / 1 serving

6. Pomzu black vinegar 15ml / 1 serving (shown in the picture on the right)

7. Tsuyu sauce: 100ml / 1 serving in case of normal mentusyu, 60ml / 1 serving in case of thickened tsuyu used for cooking.

8. Water + ice cubes

9. A pinch of white sesame.

10. Lime or kabosu or sudachi: 5-10g / 1 serving

Step 1: Boil the shrimp for 3 minutes at medium heat. If shrimp is not peeled yet, then peel it, and take away its dark-coloured intestines.

Step 2: Meanwhile, wash and strain cucumber, slice it at size of 2-3cm.

Step 3: Slice the octopus at size of 1-2cm.

Step 4: Mix octopus, wakame and cucumber with 30ml (2 table spoons) of tsuyu and 15ml (1 table spoon) of pomzu, then topping with sesame and leave for 5 minutes.

Step 5: Boil the water, boil the noodle like in the 1st chapter.

Step 6: Strain and cool noodle with ice. Put noodle with in ice-water bowl.

Step 7: Put cucumber, wakame and octopus mixture, shrimp and citrus onto noodle as topping. Add 30-70ml tsuyu into the bowl. Serve cool.

Hope you enjoy! Bon appetit!