Recipe Cuisine: Japanese
Theme: Fast & Fab
‘Natsubate busting’ somen
By: Jennafa Rosenblatt
Ingredients
- Somen noodles
- 1/2 cup ‘Obento’ sake
- 1 1/8 cup ‘Obento’ mirin
- 1 cup soy
- 1 piece dried kelp
- 1 cup dried bonito flakes
- 50 g okra boiled and sliced
- Lebanese cucumber sliced thinly
- Scrambled omelette sliced thinly
- Shallot diced thinly
- Carrot sliced thinly
- Firm tofu sliced thinly
- Scallions sliced
- 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
- sliced ‘Obento’ Yaki Nori
- Cherry tomatoes
Product used in recipe
- Obento - Yaki Nori For Sushi
- Obento - Mirin Seasoning
- Obento - Cooking Sake
Method
- Simmer soy sauce, mirin, kelp and Bonito and sake for five minutes. Once done strain bonito from sauce (‘mentsuyu’) and cool. *Mentsuyu can also be purchased at selected Asian stores but I like making my own to connect with some mindful cooking.
- Slice the rest of the ingredients and present nicely on a platter. You can tear or also slice ‘Yaki nori’ served on the side.
- Boil somen for three minutes and cool in ice cold water. Serve somen in a bowl of ice and water and side of ‘mentsuyu’.
- I call this ‘natsubate somen (夏バテそうめん) because I struggle to eat in the summer heat and dish is refreshing and healthy. The DIY element of being able to pick your own toppings is also a real winner for my kids and you can be creative and pretty much add any vegetable, sliced meats and maybe even some fruits if you are daring!
