This recipe is for somen at its most elementary: a simple but sublime combination of noodles accented with a mixture of aromatic garnishes. You can layer other ingredients in this dish if you’d like, too, such as steamed and cooled spinach, fava beans or sugar snap peas, or thinly sliced raw carrots (find the freshest carrots you can, especially from your garden or farmers’ market). Just add it to the garnish dish. Cooling the broth in a metal container, as I recommend below, will help the liquid chill faster.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　

Somen Broth

1/2 cup Dashi (page 40)

　　1/4 cup mirin

　　1/4 cup Japanese soy sauce

　　

Garnishes

2 teaspoons grated ginger

　　4 obha leaves, thinly sliced

　　2 scallions, both white and green parts, thinly sliced on an angle

　　4 sprigs mitsuba, cut into 1-inch lengths

　　14 ounces dried somen noodles

　　1/2 cup ice cubes

　　

Step 1

To make the broth, first prepare an ice bath. Combine all the broth ingredients in a small saucepan. Place over high heat and bring just to a boil. Turn off the heat and transfer the broth to a metal container. Place the container in the ice bath until the broth is chilled.

　　

Step 2

Divide the garnishes among 4 small dishes.

　　

Step 3

Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the somen noodles and cook, following package instructions. Drain and rinse well under cold running water.

　　

Step 4

To serve, divide the noodles among 4 plates and top each with a few ice cubes, which will prevent the noodles from sticking together. Pour 1/4 cup of the somen broth into each of 4 small cups. Serve the noodles and broth alongside the garnishes.

　　

Step 5

To eat, mix the garnishes into the broth and dip the noodles in with chopsticks.

　　Takashi's Noodles