Very thin Japanese noodles made from wheat flour.
Eat this noodle in cold soup.
Or put it in warm soup and eat it.
This is somen noodles.
It is one of the washoku that Japan is proud of.
As a Japanese, I will teach you the deliciousness of somen noodles.
Do you know what somen noodles are made of?
I will also teach you how to make somen noodles.
Introducing various somen noodle dishes that can be eaten in Japan.
There are many pictures of somen noodles.
It’s fun just looking at the pictures.
History of somen noodles
Somen noodles were born in Nara prefecture 1300 years ago.
Somen noodles at that time were very thick.
It is believed that 700 years ago, most of the current shape, method of making and cooking of somen noodles were formed.
At that time, it was eaten at temples and banquets in the palace, and it seems that it was not something that ordinary people could easily eat.
Making somen noodles has been popular since 250 years ago.
By this time, it seems that it was a meal for the common people.
How to make somen noodles
The ingredients for somen noodles are flour, salt and water.
Mix these ingredients to make somen noodle dough.
Stretch this dough into thin noodles with a diameter of 1.3 mm or less.
Hang the thin noodles on a stick and let them dry.
This is called “kanboshi”.
The dried somen noodles look like curtains and are very beautiful.
Cut the dried somen noodles into 19 cm lengths.
Combine the cut noodles into a bundle of 50-100 grams.
This completes the somen noodles.
Somen noodles are boiled in hot water before eating.
Boil in hot water for about 2 minutes and then cool in water.
Cooling with water will improve the texture of somen noodles.
Somen noodle dish
Somen noodles are eaten in cold soup.
Tsuyu is a black liquid based on soy sauce that contains Japanese soup stock and sugar.
The taste is salty, but it has umami and sweetness.
If you like, you can add green onions and seaweed to the soup.
Japanese soup stock is made by dissolving the flavors of fish and kelp in water.
Japanese soup stock is often used for “Washoku”.
Warm somen noodles
There are also somen noodles that you can put in warm soup and eat.
This is called “Nyumen”.
Most hot soups are soy sauce-based Japanese-style soup.
“Nyumen” using Western-style soup and curry soup there is also.
“Nagashi somen”
In Japan, there is an interesting way to eat “Nagashi Somen”.
Cut the bamboo into semicircles to create a passage through which water can flow.
Pour water and somen noodles into this passage.
Use chopsticks to pick up the flowing somen noodles and eat them.
It is interesting to see the somen noodles flowing.
It’s a lot of fun when you can pick up somen noodles with chopsticks.
It’s okay if you can’t remove somen noodles in one go.
A lot of somen noodles flow.
“Nagashi somen” is an interesting “washoku”.
This is how to eat somen noodles that children will love.
The Guinness record for the distance of “Nagashi Somen” is 3328 meters.
Japanese high school students achieved this in 1 hour and 21 minutes.
The record of the height difference of “Nagashi Somen” is 265 meters.
Somen noodles flowed over 1 hour and 15 minutes at the height of a skyscraper.
Other
There are various somen noodle dishes in Japan, such as “Salad somen noodles” that you eat with vegetables and “Somen noodle champloo” that is a mixture of stir-fried vegetables and meat with boiled somen noodles.
How to eat somen noodles
You can eat somen noodles with chopsticks, but if you can’t use chopsticks, you can eat them with a fork.
It will be easier to eat if you wrap somen noodles with a fork.
There are no forks at stores that offer somen noodles, so bring them with you.
A place where you can eat somen noodles.
Somen specialty store
There are somen specialty store in Japan where you can eat somen noodles.
You can eat various kinds of somen noodles at somen noodle specialty stores.
The price of somen noodles is around 700 to 1100 yen.
There aren’t many somen specialty store in town.
It’s a good idea to check the location of the store in advance before going to the store.
family restaurant
Although it is limited to summer, you can also eat somen noodles at Japanese family restaurants.
There are not many types of somen noodles.
We offer somen noodles that you can eat in cold soup.
The price of somen noodles is around 600 to 1000 yen.
convenience store
You can also buy somen noodles at convenience stores in Japan.
Somen noodles are often sold in the summer.
Somen noodles may not be sold depending on the season.
At convenience stores, boiled somen noodles with cold soup are on sale.
There is also a container for soup, so you can eat somen noodles immediately.
The price is around 400 yen.
The charm of somen noodles
In Japan, we often eat somen noodles in the summer.
Cold and refreshing somen noodles are perfect for hot summers, “washoku”.
You will be amazed at the fineness of somen noodles and the deliciousness of the soup.
Please try the traditional “Washoku” somen noodles.
Thank you for reading to the end.
I hope this article has helped you.
Please read other articles if you like.