Cold Somen Dipping Sauces Recipes

COLD SOBA NOODLES WITH DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt it. Cook noodles until tender but not mushy. Drain, and quickly rinse under cold running water until cold. Drain well.
• Combine dashi or stock, soy sauce and mirin. Taste, and add a little more soy if the flavor is not strong enough. Serve noodles with garnishes, with sauce on side for dipping (or spooning over).

COLD THIN NOODLES IN CHILLED WATER (HIYASHI SōMEN)

Steps:

• Add all the Dipping Sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil.
• Remove from the heat and cool it down quickly by leaving the pan in the cold water for a while, then place it in the fridge to chill.
• Boil water in a large saucepan. Remove the tape around each bunch of sōmen noodles and place the noodles in the boiling water by spreading the strands.
• Using chopsticks or a thin wooden spatula, stir the pot so that noodles are separated.
• Boil for about 2 minutes (note 3). Drain using a sieve and rinse well.
• Place noodles in a serving bowl, add chilled water (or water + ice cubes), just enough to cover the noodles.
• Using chopsticks or tongs with soft edges, take a small number of noodles at a time and gently lay them in the same direction so that the noodles line up nicely (optional).
• Decorate the noodle bowl with leaves or cucumber slices, if using. Serve with dipping sauce and condiments.

JAPANESE NOODLE DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Put mirin in a medium pan and bring to a boil.
• Add soy sauce and dashi soup stock in the pan and bring to a boil again.
• Stop the heat.
• Cool the sauce.

QUICK MENTSUYU RECIPE (COLD SOBA NOODLE SAUCE)

Steps:

• Stir together your soy sauce, mirin, sake or rice wine and dashi powder in a saucepan and gently bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.
• Take it off the heat and set aside to cool completely before use.
• Optional: Garnish with a sprinkling of aonori powder or thinly sliced nori for extra flavour.
• If you're ready to eat, go ahead and bring a medium pot of water to the boil, then add in your soba noodles. Cook according to packet directions (usually around 3 mins or so), then drain and remove from the heat.
• For the most refreshing experience, allow your noodles to cool completely before serving. You might like to run them under cold water to speed this up, or pop them in the fridge for 10 mins or so before serving so they cool down more quickly.

JAPANESE COLD SOMEN NOODLES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Prepare the toppings and place in separate serving bowls. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, add the mirin to a medium saucepan over low heat and cook until just heated through, about 30 seconds.
• Raise the heat to high, add the soy sauce and dashi soup stock . Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and cool completely, at least 20 minutes. Refrigerate if not using right away.
• Meanwhile, make the somen noodles. Add the dried somen noodles to the large pot of boiling water, gently stirring until the noodles are al dente, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
• Drain the somen in a colander and cool under running water or in an ice bath.
• Continue to wash the noodles, tossing with your hands until completely cold. Drain well.
• Serve the drained cold somen in a large serving bowl or divided between individual bowls with the dipping sauces in individual small bowls and toppings on the side.

JAPANESE COLD SOMEN NOODLES

Steps:

• [Optional] Traditional Japanese restaurants tie up the noodles to enhance the appearance of the somen and this is how you do it. Tie the edge of somen noodles with cooking twine. This way noodles will stay in one direction while cooking. I normally skip this step for home use.
• In a large pot, bring water to a boil. When boiling, remove the wrapper.
• Add the somen noodles in the boiling water (do not add salt!). Stir noodles with chopsticks so they don't stick to each other. Cook according to the package instructions. If necessary, add a little bit of cold water in the pot to prevent overflowing.
• Drain somen in a colander and wash the noodles with hands under running water.
• Once the noodles are cold, find the knotted parts of somen noodles and pick them up. Cut off the edge and discard. Hold each bundle gently and arrange it nicely on a serving plate. Somen can be served with ice to keep cool.
• Cut the scallion finely and grate the ginger. Put them in small dishes.
• Pour mentsuyu in individual dipping sauce bowls and add iced water to dilute. I recommend making homemade mentsuyu but if you're too busy, get a bottle of mentsuyu like this. See the instructions. You can check the ratio of mentsuyu to water on this page. This brand recommends 1:3.
• Put a small portion of scallion and ginger in the dipping sauce and dip the somen noodles to enjoy! To make it more filling, you can bulk up the noodles by tossing in other ingredients such as shredded egg crepes (see How to Make Kinshi Tamago), julienned cucumbers, boiled okra, and ham.