Growing up, somen salad was one of the best things to eat on a hot summer day. Cool, refreshing, and always satisfying, it’s a comfort food that makes me think of family and friends. In Hawaii, you can pick up a pre-packed somen salad at the store. If you’re lucky, someone will bring it to a potluck… It’s a fast and easy meal that can fill you up. You can buy special ingredients like I have here or you can just use leftovers from your fridge.
No matter where you are in the world, you can get some goodness that will remind you of home in a few minutes. As long as you have an Asian market close-by or access to Amazon, you can get what you need. Just stock a pack of noodles and pre-made tsuyu soup base. You can definitely make your own tsuyu sauce, but when you are in the middle of studying, the pre-made is just as good!
Somen noodles cook quickly so you want to watch your stove. The minute you drop your noodles in, stir them around so they don’t stick together. Cook your noodles for no more than 3 minutes. Strain the noodles under cold water and stir them with you hand to stop them from cooking, keep them from sticking and cool them quickly.
When your noodles are strained and cool, you can build your salad. You can do a fancy presentation for guests or just throw it all together for yourself if you’re short on time. Add a bit of sauce and you’re done!
With all the veggies, it’s a hearty meal! Though you don’t have to wait for summer… it’s always yummy year-round!
This is one of those meals that you can easily do the meal math! Add this to your menu for Fast and Easy Meal Planning!
Somen Salad
Ingredients
- 4 bundles somen noodles
- 1 cucumber julienned
- 2-3 leaves lettuce cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 eggs scrambled, fried, then thinly sliced
- 1 package imitation crab sticks
- 1/2 pound shrimp cooked
- 4 stalks green onions chopped
- 1/2 cup tsuyu soup base
- 1-1/2 cups water
Instructions
- First we need to prepare the toppings. Scramble the eggs, fry like a pancake in a pan with a bit of oil. Let it cool, then cut into slices. Julienne the cucumber. Cut up your lettuce. Cook your shrimp (either quickly pan fry with some water or par boil).
- Dilute the sauce. The Mizkan tsuyu soup base is a 1 to 3 ratio for cold noodle dipping. !/2 a cup of base with 1-1/2 cups of water is good for 4 servings.
- For the noodles, bring water to a boil, then drop in the bundles one at a time. Stir once they are all in the pot. Cook for 3 minutes, no more. Drain immediately. Rinse well with cold water, stirring with your hand under the water. This stops the noodles from cooking further, keeps them from sticking, and cools the noodles quickly.
- Time to put it all together! Start with your noodles. Layer all your ingredients as much as you want and how you like it. Cut some green onions with scissors last.
- Add the sauce over all the noodles and toppings. Time to eat!
