Nagashi Somen

When it comes to noodle dishes, ramen, soba and udon are pretty common in Japan. Somen are rare, and what are called “nagashi somen” or “flowing noodles” are even rarer.

Japan’s summer is usually hot and humid, refreshin, light, cooling food is the order of the day. One of Japan’s traditional summer foods is “somen,” a delicate and slender noodle made from wheat and flour. The noodles are thinner than angel-hair pasta, and take minutes to prepare. They are available everywhere, inexpensive and the portions are ideal for a light meal that is enjoyable not only to kids but to family and friends as well.

Nagashi Somen are put in water flowing along a long bamboo gutter. You catch the noodles with your chopsticks, dip them in a cool broth, and eat them. Flowing Somen brings you fun and cool taste at party lunch during summer season.

Kyushu, is a very famous and popular tourist destination, due to the picturesque landscape. What is less advertised and therefore less well-known is that this is a place where they can savor unique and authentic nagashi somen.

Somen has been associated with both Shinto and Buddhist ceremonies. In particular, it has been associated with the annual July 7 Tanabata Festival since the Heian Period, when it was believed that eating somen on that day would ward off serious illness.

Somen, coupled with sweet soy-ginger sauce is a complete meal in itself. The general recipe calls for cooking noodles over a high heat for less than five minutes, drain and cool. The taste of the dipping sauce is soy sauce and fish bouillon with sugar or “mirin” to sweeten. Mirin is a rice wine similar to sake, but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content. Drench noodles with the sauce and serve cold. However, there are numerous ginger based dipping sauce recipes that can be used to cover the delicate noodle. Also, one can add many toppings to the dipping sauce such as, onions, ginger, sesame seeds, tomato, cucumbers, scallions and shrimp.

For families and friends, Nagashi Somen is famous being made in their own backyard. It is very easy to make. A diameter of five to six inches bamboo, cut vertically, make sure it is thoroughly washed and voila! You can have a flowing noodles party in your own backyard. For noodles, be careful in choosing noodles to cook as cheap noodles can get sticky when cooked or flowed by water. There are variety of noodles to choose from but choose the best.

When all the preparations are ready, the server will put some somen noodles on the top of the bamboo gutter with running water and the server will say “Ikuyo!” which means “Somen will come to you. Guys, are your chopsticks ready?” Such an interesting way to eat those somen noodles.

Japanese people usually do this Nagashi Somen during Golden Week in parks and gardens with family and friends.