Somen

To survive the infernal summer conditions (extreme heat and humidity), the Japanese have developed a few tricks… They wet the ground, give themselves massages in the open-air breweries on top of buildings… And they eat cold “somen” noodles.

Thin wheat noodles

Somen are (very) thin wheat noodles. In hot weather, they are served cold on a bed of ice cubes. In this form, they are meant to be soaked in a “tsuyu” broth of mirin, soy sauce and dashi broth, sometimes topped with shiso, ginger and spring onion. The result is extremely refreshing: the delicate flavour and great finesse of the soya will make you forget the heat, especially when followed by a slice of watermelon for dessert…

Every summer, some Japanese restaurants offer “nagashi somen”: small packets of noodles with icy water slide down a bamboo slide. It’s up to the customers to grab them, soak them in tsuyu and cool them down.

Enjoy them hot or cold!

Of course, somen can also be served hot during the cold season. In Nara Prefecture, they are served in a succulent broth filled with shiitake, “kamaboko” fish cakes and just-cooked omelette.

Winter or summer, they have one key advantage: their small diameter (around one millimetre) means they can be cooked in less than two minutes. Good hot or cold, easy to prepare in a thousand different ways, ideal for a quick meal… somen have all the qualities you’d expect from a quality pasta.