Let's taste Somen and know about Soumen!_one of summer features in Japan

Soumen(そうめん, Somen) are very thin noodles. It is made of wheat powder.
Somen_very thin Japanese noodles
We like to eat soumen especially during the summertime when we lose our appetite because it is slippery and goes down smoothly and easily.

・How to cook Soumen

bundles of dried soumen
Ingredients (one serving):
Two bundles of dried soumen
dipping sauce※
condiments such as wasabi(Japanese horseradish), thinly shredded egg omelet, shredded Shiso leaves(Perilla), finely chopped green spring onion and shredded seasoned seaweed, as needed

How to cook (Time or amount is a little different. Please check details written on packages)

1. Boil water (1000ml for two bundles of soumen) in a large pan.
2. Loose bundle and get rid of tape. Sprinkle the noodles in strand by strand over the water.
3. Cook them while stirring gently with chopsticks
4. After boiling again, adjust heat so that not boiling over.
5. After boiling for about two minutes, place noodles on a strainer to drain the water. Rinse them by hand in running water then drain the water well.
6. Eat Somen with dipping sauce added condiments

※I usually use after adding water to concentrated Mentsuyu which is a Japanese flavoring sauce made mainly from soup stock, soy sauce, mirin(sweet sake=Japanese liqur for cooking) or sake itself and sugar.

If you don’t have Mentuyu, mix Japanese style soup stock (120ml), mirin(25ml) and soy sauce (25ml). Then heat them in a microwave oven and cool down.

・Best soumen brand
If you are interested in the best dried soumen brand, In my opinion I recommend ‘揖保乃糸’ ‘IBO NO ITO’.
These Soumen are hand-streched noodles and made by traditional manufacturing method.
hand-streched noodles
They have a high good texture (chewy noodles, firm noodles). I like them.

・Nagashi Soumen
Nagashi somen
“Nagashi” means “flowing”. Nagashi Soumen is a kind of way of eating soumen.

Soumen is put in water flowing along a long gutter, which is made by splitting bamboo in half.When you try Nagashi Soumen, you have to catch the noodles with chopsticks.

After catching them, dip them into soup and eat with condiments.
I have never tried but it is one of the summer traditions in Japan.

・Cooked Soumen
Soumen is usually sold as dried noodles at supermarket or stores.

But recently you can buy cooked Soumen with soup and condiments such as green onions at convenience store or supermarket.
cooked somen sold at supermarket

・CUP NOODLE Soumen
And “CUP NOODLE” Soumen by Nissin food company is also released in June 19th in 2017. 

You can select hot Soumen(we usually call it Nyumen) or cold Soumen. How to eat in two ways is written on package.

Please try Soumen(Somen, そうめん) , one of Japanese popular noodles!

Click each post'sand share if you like it.

Advertisement