Somen
Somen
Somen are Japan's finest noodles, thin white wheat noodles, typically less than 1.3 mm in diameter, served cold with a light dipping broth during the summer months. They cook in under two minutes, are refreshingly light and carry a delicate flavour that makes them the perfect counterpart to the bold, umami-rich tsuyu dipping sauce they are traditionally served with. Alongside the classic chilled somen with mentsuyu, they also appear in nagashi somen, the spectacular tradition of catching noodles flowing down a bamboo flume with chopsticks, and in various regional preparations throughout Japan.
The tools for somen preparation are minimal but specific. A large pot with enough capacity to boil noodles without them sticking together, combined with a colander for draining quickly, are the basics. After boiling, the noodles need to be rinsed under cold running water and, if not eaten immediately, kept in a bowl of ice water to prevent them from sticking together. A dedicated somen serving set, typically a glass or ceramic bowl with matching dipping cups, elevates the presentation significantly and is part of the summer dining aesthetic that somen represents in Japan.
Nagashi somen machines, which recreate the bamboo flume experience at the table using a small electric water pump, are also available in this collection and represent a genuinely fun and unusual dining experience for families and groups. They are a staple of Japanese summer entertaining and a conversation piece that guests consistently remember.
The condiments and dipping sauce components for somen, tsuyu concentrate, grated ginger, finely sliced spring onion, myoga and sesame, are covered in the ingredients section of the collection.
Discover more in our subcategories:
Serve in our bowls and use our condiment dispensers for the dipping sauce.
Showing 17 products
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Red Yuzu Kosho, Japanese fermented chili and yuzu citrus paste with a fiery, fragrant punch. Bolder and hotter than green yuzu kosho, with a deep ripe citrus character. Contents 50 g Origin Made in Kyushu, Japan 🇯🇵 Browse also: hiyashi...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (499 items)
The Soba Serving Plate, long, rectangular Japanese plate for presenting zaru soba cold noodles. Traditional in Japanese soba restaurants for elegant noodle presentation. Traditional Utensil Style Zaru Soba Noodle Serving Plate (Round) Primary Culinary Application Plating chilled buckwheat noodles (soba),...
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The Konebachi Bowl is a large Japanese wooden mixing bowl traditionally used for kneading soba and udon dough. Its generous size and smooth interior surface make it ideal for bread and pasta dough too. In the Box 1 Extra-Large Japanese...
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The Knife Sobakiri / Udonkiri is a traditional Japanese rectangular blade knife designed for cutting soba and udon noodle dough cleanly and precisely after rolling. Type Sobakiri / Udonkiri noodle knife Use Cutting soba and udon noodle dough Origin Japan...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (498 items)
The Arita Soba Choko Gift Set, small Arita porcelain cups in the classic choko style, used for serving soba dipping sauce and sake. Elegant blue and white Arita gift set. Origin Hasami, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan 🇯🇵 Material Premium Glazed Porcelain...