Sōmen are very thin noodles made from wheat flour. They are usually eaten cold with dipping sauce and are perfect for summer!

When eaten with dipping sauce or soup broth, Japanese people often like to slurp their noodles. It’s considered the most delicious way of eating them. It’s true! Why not have a go?

INGREDIENTS

4 portions of sōmen noodles (or soba/ buckwheat noodles – see here for my soba with dipping sauce recipe)

TOPPINGS – these are just some suggestions but you can improvise!

8 cooked prawns
½ cucumber, finely sliced
8 okra, very finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped
Big chunk of ginger, grated

DIPPING SAUCES

Here’s a choice of 2 so you can make whichever takes your fancy. Mentsuyu is the most common but both are delicious!

Mentsuyu (basic soy dipping sauce) –
360ml dashi
120ml soy sauce
120ml mirin
1 tbsp sugar

Gomadare (sesame dipping sauce) –

240ml dashi
5 tbsp white sesame paste (tahini is ok)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp white miso paste
1 tbsp sugar

METHOD

1. Put dipping sauce ingredients into saucepan. Bring to the boil. Set aside and leave to cool.
2. Prepare toppings. If you bought raw prawns, cook them. Sprinkle salt on okra and roll them back and forth on a kitchen board under the palm of your hand to get rid of spiky bits. Chop up cucumber, okra and spring onion. Grate ginger.
2. Put a big pan of water on to boil. Once boiling put noodles in and cook for about 2 mins. Check packet guidelines for exact cooking time.
4. When ready, drain noodles and rinse under cold water.
5. To eat, serve individual bowls of dipping sauce and dip noodles, a little at a time, sprinkle toppings and tuck in!