Japanese Cold Somen Noodles

By Just One Cookbook · 20 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Mix ¼ cup mentsuyu with ½–1 cup iced water in a measuring cup. Skip the dilution if your mentsuyu is labelled straight. Add several ice cubes to the water to keep the sauce chilled.
2. Thinly slice the green onion, grate the ginger, and put each in its own small bowl. Slice shiso and myoga thinly, grate a small amount of daikon and squeeze out some liquid, and place the garnishes in separate bowls as desired.
3. Simmer the sliced shiitake caps with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tbsp water (or dashi) uncovered until almost no liquid remains, then cool.
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil without salt. Remove the wrappings from 4 bundles of dried somen so they can all go in together.
5. Add the somen all at once and spread the noodles around the pot to separate the strands. Cook, stirring occasionally with chopsticks, for 1 to 1½ minutes or per package instructions, adding a little cold water if it threatens to boil over. Drain.
6. Rinse the noodles under cold running water, then rub and massage them with your hands until the excess oil is removed.
7. Transfer the somen to a large bowl of iced water with several ice cubes.
8. Serve the chilled noodles in their water or on a tray, with the dipping sauce in small bowls and garnishes and toppings on the side. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days, rinsing under cold water before serving if they stick.

Summarized from Just One Cookbook's video. Watch it for the details.

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