KitchenNippon

【Ingredients】 (4 Servings)

Sōmen (そうめん / Sōmen)………… 300ｇ

◆Julienned egg crepe (錦糸卵 / Kinshi tamago)
Eggs (卵 / Tamago)…………………………….１ 1/2
Katakuri flour (片栗粉 / Katakuriko)……１tsp
Water (水 / Mizu)……………………………….２tsp
Salt (塩/ Shio)……………………………………Pinch
Salad oil (サラダ油 / Sarada yu)……………Small amount for frying

◆Salted Cucumber (きゅうりの塩もみ / Kyūri no shio momi)
Cucumber (きゅうり / Kyūri)………………….. 1
Salt (塩/ Shio)…………………………………….1/4tsp
White roasted sesame (白炒りごま / Shiro irigoma)..1/2tsp
◆Condiments (薬味野菜 / Yakumi yasai)
Myōga (みょうが / Myōga)………………………. 1/2
Ginger (しょうが / Shōga) （Ground……………2tsp
Green onion (長ねぎ / Naganegi)……………..1/3
◆Basic Sōmen Dipping Sauce
(基本のそうめんつゆ / Kihon no sōmen tsuyu)
（600ml in total; 200ml for the sesame dipping sauce）
Water (水 / Mizu)……………………………….800ml
Konbu (昆布 / Konbu) （10×５㎝……………1
Dried shiitake (干ししいたけ / Hoshi shītake)…1
Smoked dried bonito (かつおぶし / Katsuobushi)…….30ｇ
Pure mirin (本みりん / Hon mirin)…………………………2tsp
Cane sugar (きび砂糖 / Kibizatō))…………………………..1/2tbsp
Soy sauce (しょうゆ / Shōyu)…………………………………80ml
◆Gomadare Sōmen (ごまだれそうめん / Gomadare sōmen)
Basic Sōmen Dipping Sauce……………………………………. 200ml
White sesame paste (白練りごま / Shiro nerigoma)………3tbsp
White ground sesame (白すり胡麻 / Shiro suri goma)….2tbsp
Shichimi tōgarashi (七味唐辛子 / Shichimi tōgarashi)…1/2tsp

【How to Make】
◆Sōmen
① Boil water (at least 1 liter [or quart] per 100g of dry noodles) in a soup pot. Once the water is at a boil, put in the sōmen noodles and boil them for 1 minute. Transfer the noodles to a strainer and rinse under running water. The noodles will feel slippery. Rinse until that slipperiness disappears and then drain.
② Grab a one-mouthful-quantity of noodles, wrap it around your fingers, and place it on a plate. Repeat for all of the noodles. This will make it easy to pick up the noodles when you eat them.
◆Kinshi Tamago (Julienned egg crepe)
① Crack the eggs into a bowl and scramble them. In a separate bowl, mix together the katakuri flour and water, and then add it to the eggs. Add a pinch of salt.
② Spread the salad oil thinly in a frying pan. Place the pan on medium heat. Once the pan is up to cooking temperature, add the egg mixture and tilt the pan as needed to cover the bottom of the pan completely and evenly. When the edge of the egg dries, flip the whole thing to cook it on both sides. The top of the egg, which is now on the bottom side, will cook in very little time.
③ When the egg is finished cooking, remove it to a cutting board and let it cool. When the egg has cooled, roll it up and slice it into strips about 3mm (1/8in.) wide. The sliced egg is called “kinshi tamago.”

◆Salted Cucumber
① Skin the cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise. Next, diagonally cut each half into 2mm (little less than 1/8in.) slices.
② Salt the cucumber slices and set aside for at least 10 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water. Arrange on plates and dress with white roasted sesame.

◆Condiments
Cut the myōga into thin diagonal slices and finely chop the green onion. Use the myōga, green onion, and ground ginger as you like when eating your sōmen.

◆Basic Sōmen Tsuyu (Dipping Sauce)
① Pour the water into a pot, place the konbu and dried shītake in the water, and set aside for at least 1 hour.
② Put the pot on high heat. Just before the water begins to boil, remove the konbu and shītake.
③ Once the water comes to a boil, add the katsuobushi. This will cause the water to cool below boiling point. Let the water reach a boil again, then turn off the heat, leave the pot alone for about 10 minutes. Line a strainer with a bit of clean cotton cloth or a paper towel. At around the 10-minute mark strain the contents of the pot.
◆Gomadare Sōmen
Pour 200ml of the basic sōmen tsuyu into a bowl, add the sesame paste, ground sesame, and shichimi tōgarashi, and mix well.

※ Keep both the basic sōmen tsuyu and gomadare in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat.

Recipe Developed by: Machiko Tateno