Nyumen (Hot Somen Noodle Soup)

Name: Nyumen (Hot Somen Noodle Soup)
Total time: 15 min
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: Somen noodles 3 bundles (150 g); Green onions (konegi) 2 stalks; Dried wakame seaweed 2 tsp; Dashi granules (Japanese soup stock) 1 1/2 tsp; Soy sauce 1 tbsp; Mirin (sweet rice seasoning) 1 tbsp; Salt 1/2 tsp; Water (for soaking the wakame) 200ml; Water (for the sauce) 600ml; Water (for boiling the somen) 1.5L

⏱ No time 🍵 Not feeling great

Serves 2 · About 15 min
Somen noodles boiled and rinsed, then warmed in hot broth. A light soup with wakame and green onions.

① Soak the wakame and cut the green onions→② Make the broth→③ Boil and rinse the somen→④ Warm in the broth→⑤ Serve

What to buy

Noodles

Somen noodles3 bundles (150 g)

Vegetables

Green onions (konegi)Pre-cut ones are OK2 stalks

Seasonings & dry goods

Dried wakame seaweed2 tspDashi granules (Japanese soup stock)1 1/2 tsp

Check what you already have

Soy sauce1 tbspMirin (sweet rice seasoning)1 tbspSalt1/2 tspWater (for soaking the wakame)200mlWater (for the sauce)600mlWater (for boiling the somen)1.5L

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How to make it

Soak the wakame and cut the green onions

About 5 min

Put the green onions on the cutting board and slice them small, 2–3 mm wide (thin rounds)
Put 200 ml water and 2 tsp dried wakame in a small bowl and let sit 5 min. When soft, squeeze out the water with your hands

How to tell it's doneThe wakame has opened up, gone soft and been squeezed. The green onions are cut too.

Make the broth

Medium → Low heatAbout 5 min

Put 600 ml water, 1 1/2 tsp dashi granules, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin and 1/2 tsp salt in a pot and set over medium heat
When it boils, turn to low heat and keep it warm
Taste it. If the flavor is weak, add salt a pinch at a time

How to tell it's doneIt is bubbling, and the broth is clear and light brown.

Boil and rinse the somen

High heatAbout 3 min (check the package)

In another pot, bring plenty of water (about 1.5 L) to a boil
Untie the bundles of somen, scatter them in, and loosen them with chopsticks right away
Boil for the time written on the package (usually 1 1/2–2 min)
Drain in a colander and wash under running water, rubbing gently with your hands (they are hot, so run water over them first before touching)

How to tell it's doneThe noodles are all separated, and the rinsing water is no longer cloudy.

Be carefulIf the water foams up like it will boil over, turn the heat down a little. Somen cooks very fast, so do not leave the stove while it boils.

Warm in the broth

Medium heatAbout 1 min

Set the broth from step 2 over medium heat and add the somen and wakame
Warm for 30 sec–1 min, loosening with chopsticks

How to tell it's doneTaste 1 noodle: it is hot.

Be carefulIf it simmers too long, the somen gets too soft. Turn off the heat as soon as it is hot.

Serve

1 min

Put half of the somen and wakame, with the broth, into each soup bowl or large bowl
Top with the green onions

ReadyThe somen is in the broth and steaming. Eat right away.

📚 Learn more about this dish

🥬 Ingredient guide

Dashi Konegi (green onion)Mirin Shoyu (soy sauce)

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Heat levels (high, medium, low)Hitotsumami & shoushou (a pinch)Koguchi-giri (thin rounds)

If it didn't work out

The noodles are too softIt simmered in the broth too long. Next time, move it to the bowls as soon as it is hot.

The sauce is saltySomen has salt in it. Next time, rub it well when rinsing. This time, add water 50 ml at a time.

The noodles stick together in clumpsYou did not loosen the noodles right after adding them. Spread them apart with chopsticks as soon as they go in.

The sauce is weakAdd salt a pinch at a time, tasting each time.

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Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me