Somen, Cold Noodles

These thin noodles are called somen. They are bound by a paper tab and come in a package with several bundles. They boil quickly and then they are chilled. They are served cold. We rinse them in cold water and then put them in the refrigerator for a few minutes. I have seen others serve them with ice cubes in the bowl.

They are eaten with chopsticks and are dunked in sauce in a small cup made especially for somen and soba (thicker noodles). We buy the sauce in a bottle and keep it in the refrigerator. It is concentrated so after pouring a little in the small cup we put cold water in it. The sauce has mostly soy sauce and seaweed broth with a little sugar. My kids like to eat somen with mandarin orange slices. These came from a can. My daughter likes to put horseradish in her sauce. Papa likes to put slices of leek. My son likes lots of orange slices.