Somen Cold Noodles For Two Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine 2/3 cup flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Beat egg and cold water; pour into well. Stir together, forming a ball. , Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead for 8 minutes, adding remaining flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking to surface or hands. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. , On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12x8-in. rectangle. Dust top of dough with flour to prevent sticking while rolling. Trim the edges. Dust both sides of dough with flour. Roll up jelly-roll style; cut into 1/4-in. slices. Separate and unroll the noodles; let rest on a clean towel for 1 hour. , In a large saucepan, bring water to a rapid boil. Add oil and noodles; cook for 7-9 minutes or until tender. Drain and serve immediately. ,

Steps:

• Combine sesame oil, soy sauce, red peppers, tsuyu, and lime juice.
• Mix well and refrigerate.
• Chop and plate dipping items on a platter.
• Steam shrimp.
• Prepare somen according to directions (takes about 3 minutes once water is boiling).
• Rinse under cold water in a strainer.
• Place in a large bowl of ice.
• Serve with platter and dipping sauce.
• To eat, simply place a small quantity (about 1/5 cup) sauce in a small bowl or medium size glass and add the noodles and other ingredients.
• ***Reserve some of the dipping sauce for occasionally refreshing the dipping vessel fluid, which becomes slightly diluted from the noodle liquid.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes and salt. Let sit until juicy, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions, drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
• Add the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, mustard and sesame oil to the tomatoes, and toss with a spoon until well combined. Stir the filtered water into the tomatoes and sprinkle the surface of the broth with the sesame seeds, radishes and scallions.
• Right before serving, add the ice to the broth. Divide the noodles among bowls, and ladle in the broth and any unmelted ice, making sure each serving gets a nice sprinkling of tomatoes, radishes, scallions and sesame seeds.

Steps:

• Make dipping sauce by combining the dashi (or dashi granules and 1 cup water), mirin, and soy sauce in a medium saucepan. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Force-cool the sauce by pouring into a medium-size metal mixing bowl, placing into a large bowl of ice cubes and water, and twirling, taking care not to spill, until cooled. (Note: this is an important step; it won't taste right if you just let it cool slowly!)When cooled, refrigerate until ready to use.
• Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse well under cold water, drain again, and place in a bowl of cold water.
• To serve, place a mound of noodles into individual glass bowls, tuck in a few ice cubes and pour in a small amount of water (not enough to cover; just to dampen). Sprinkle with cilantro leaves to taste.
• On little individual plates, place a small mound of sliced green onion and a dab of wasabi. Pour some dipping sauce into small individual bowls.
• Each person can season his or her sauce to taste with the onions and wasabi, then pick up a bunch of noodles (chopsticks really work the best, but you can use a fork, too), allow water to drip back into bowl, dip into sauce, and eat.
• For a somewhat heartier meal, add some of the suggested additions (in the description above) along with the cilantro leaves when serving. I like to serve this with a simple salad of tomato wedges, sliced cucumber, and either lettuce or Napa cabbage with a Japanese-style dressing.