Cold Nyūmen is a perfect summer dish, particularly when the temperature soars and you have lost your appetite. Plain and simple chilled noodles have a minimalist topping.
I added two options for the toppings, but you can also change toppings as mentioned in note 4.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
Blanch carrot pieces and cool them down (topping option 1 only).
Remove the tape around the bunch of sōmen noodles and place the noodles in the boiling water, spreading the strands.
Boil for a couple of minutes per the instructions on the packet of the sōmen noodles.
Rinse well under running cold water to remove sliminess and cool them down quickly. Drain well.
Add the Broth ingredients to a serving bowl. Mix.
Transfer the noodles to the serving bowl.
Place the toppings of your choice (note 4) on the noodles and serve.
1. If you don’t have shiro dashi, you can make a broth with 300ml dashi stock, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1½ tablespoon mirin and a pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil, then cool it down.
2. I used a vegetable cutter to make plum flowers with the carrot slices. Please visit my post Sanshoku Bento, which shows the sample vegetable cutters. Note 1 in the recipe card of Sanshoku Bento also explains how to make a flower shape using a knife.
3. The section Shiraga Negi in this post explains how to make it.
4. I came up with a couple of toppings for this recipe, but you can pick anything that goes well with plain Japanese soup. Some more topping suggestions include (but not limited to) sliced cucumbers, sliced fish cakes, blanched spinach, julienned perilla leaves and wakame seaweed. You can even add flavoured mushrooms such as Simmered Shiitake Mushrooms.