Hiyashi Somen

Name: Hiyashi Somen
Yield: makes 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups Dashi, preferably homemade (page 162); 1/2 cup soy sauce; 2 tablespoons mirin; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1 tablespoon dried shrimp, optional; Salt to taste; One 300-gram package (3 bundles) somen noodles; 2 scallions, trimmed and minced; Wasabi, optional

December 14, 2011

The first time I had hiyashi somen they were a revelation. It was a staggeringly hot day, and a Japanese friend was cooking dinner. When I found out we were having noodles, I was a little dismayed—I was more in the mood for a salad than for pasta. Then she brought out (what I now know as) hiyashi somen, in little bowls on top of ice with a cool dipping sauce to accompany them—perfect food for a blistering day. You can top the somen with poached and chilled shrimp or room-temperature grilled shiitakes, but it’s plenty good plain, as here. If you want to significantly speed up an already fast dish, skip the dried shrimp and sugar (or substitute homemade sugar syrup). For information on dried shrimp, see page 185.

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