Somen, Japan's iconic noodles, are made from wheat flour with a mild, delicate flavor and salt. It is said best somen are made from Japanese wheat flour, with Hokkaido being a renowned region for this. Somen noodles are white in color and vary in thickness.
They are appreciated for their elastic and soft texture. Japanese people love to eat them cold in spring and summer, accompanied by tsuyu, a seasoning made from soy sauce and mirin, sometimes with a dash of citrus juice.
In winter, somen is mainly eaten hot in a broth with a strong umami flavor (with katsuobushi or dried bonito) or stir-fried, served with fish or seafood, or even grilled meat. Cooking somen in summer requires careful attention: it is quickly simmered in boiling water, then drained and immediately plunged into ice water to cool it and stop cooking process.
In Japan, it is often served on a bed of ice cubes. Accompanying tsuyu (made from dashi broth, mirin, and soy sauce) is often accompanied by chopped spring onions, grated ginger, wasabi, sesame seeds, and other ingredients.
These somen noodles are made from 100% Kitahonami wheat from Hokkaido. Kitahonami wheat gives them great elasticity and a crunchy texture. These boiled noodles are pale yellow in color and shiny in appearance. They are delicious both cold in summer and hot in winter.
240g = quantity for 2 people
Amount of water for cooking: 3.5 liters (unsalted water)
Cooking time in boiling water: 2 minutes
Stir the somen noodles so that they do not stick together. When cooked, place soba in a colander and rinse with cold running water to cool quickly and stop cooking process.
Once soba has cooled, rinse under running water, kneading with your hands to remove starch that causes stickiness. Finally, drain the water. If you put noodles in ice water to firm them up, they will have an even firmer and more chewy texture.
