Vegan Somen
Light, cold, and full of flavor — this vegan somen is the ultimate no-fuss summer noodle dish. Quick to prep, fun to eat, and totally refreshing.
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 252kcal
Equipment
- Medium saucepan for simmering the dipping sauce
- Large pot to cook the somen noodles evenly
- Fine mesh strainer or colander to rinse and drain the noodles
- Mixing bowl for the ice water bath (use a big one!)
- Grater for ginger and radish
- Sharp knife and chopping board to prep all your toppings
- Serving bowls small ones for the dipping sauce (around 80 ml per person)
- Chopsticks or forks, if preferred
- Draining board or bamboo sushi mat for serving the noodles beautifully (a colander on a plate also works)
Ingredients
For the dipping sauce
- 250 ml dashi For speed I used instant dashi: for every 1 cup of water dissolve 1 teaspoon of kombu dashi powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 60 ml soy sauce light (kikoman is fine)
- 15 ml sake
- 20 ml mirin
For the noodles
- 200 g somen noodles Bundles of somen often come in 90g, 50g or 100g portions. Anywhere between 90-100g per person is fine
- 3 liters water for boiling
- 4 cups ice
Toppings (optional but recommended)
- 2 spring onions thinly sliced
- 4 cherry tomatoes quartered or cut into eighths
- 5 cm piece of cucumber deseeded and julienned
- 5 cm piece of ginger peeled and grated
- 5 –6 red radishes or a 6 cm piece of daikon peeled and grated
Optional add-ons
- Crispy tofu cut into strips
- Sushi mushrooms
- Braised ‘age’ fried tofu pockets
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the dashi, soy sauce, sugar, sake, and mirin.
- Place the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a light simmer, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and chill it in the fridge for 2–3 hours, or speed things up by placing the pan in an ice water bath for 15–20 minutes.
- Fill a large pot with 3 liters of water and bring it to a boil while you prepare the toppings.
- Peel the ginger using the edge of a spoon, then grate it finely.
- Peel the radishes (or daikon, if using) and grate them into a small bowl.
- Slice the spring onions thinly into rounds.
- Quarter or slice the cherry tomatoes into eighths, depending on size.
- Halve the cucumber lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and slice into thin matchsticks.
- Arrange all of the toppings neatly on a plate or in small bowls, ready for serving.
- Gently separate the somen noodle bundles with your hands so they don’t clump when cooking.
- Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions, usually around 3 minutes.
- Drain the cooked noodles and rinse thoroughly under cold running water until completely cool and smooth.
- Transfer the noodles to a bowl of ice water and let them chill for a few minutes to firm up their texture.
- Prepare your table by setting out small dipping bowls (around 80 ml per person), chopsticks or forks, and a draining surface such as a bamboo mat or colander on a plate.
- Remove the noodles from the ice bath and place them on your draining surface to serve.
- To eat, take a small portion of noodles, dip briefly into the chilled sauce, add your preferred toppings, and slurp away. Refill your dipping sauce if it becomes too diluted.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serve | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 2242mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 293IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 2mg
