nakayoshi gakko somen salad

Somen is thin, usually white Japanese wheat-based pasta.

Everyone needs a good somen salad recipe and Nakayoshi Gakko, my kids’ Japanese culture day camp, has the perfect one. I like to use the colorful somen—red (ume), green (cha) and yellow (egg). They don’t really have a taste unless you try really hard, but it looks pretty.

Usually this is a summer meal, but we even eat it a few times during the winter! Somen salad is very good picnic food because it has no dairy that can go bad on a hot day. And as a leftover, it is also highly requested for lunch the following day.

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Somen, cooked and cooled
Lettuce, shredded
Cucumber, thinly sliced
Tomato, thinly sliced
Chari siu (recommended) or black forest ham, thinly sliced
Scrambled eggs, thinly sliced (optional but recommended)
Kamaboko, thinly sliced (also optional, or use alone)

Dressing
1/3 cup (white)sugar
1/3 cup American vinegar
1/3 cup shoyu
About 1T sesame oil
Just enought Canola or Macadamia Nut oil to hold it togehter
Toasted white sesame seeds

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Put lettuce in the bottom of the serving dish. Cook, drain and cool somen. Add somen in little swirled bunches. Garnish with the rest of the stuff. Whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and serve cold or at room temperature.

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