TRADITIONAL RECIPE

GOSHIKI FIVE-COLOR SOMEN NOODLES
Somen are very thin, delicate noodles, often enjoyed as a summer dish in Japan and eaten cool. In this recipe, goshiki literally means five colors, and this dish features five different-colored topping ingredients: cucumber, surimi, tuna, shiitake mushrooms and egg.
Ingredients

Serves 4
436 kcal Protein 18.1 g Fat 8.9 g (per person)
- 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 120 ml / 1/2 C water
Simmering liquid
- 120 ml / 1/2 C shiitake soaking water
- 1 T Kikkoman Soy Sauce
- 2 t granulated sugar
Tsuyu sauce
- 120 ml / 1/2 C Kikkoman Hon Tsuyu* (dipping sauce for noodles)
- 360 ml / 1 1/2 C water
- 1 Japanese cucumber
- 6 surimi imitation crabmeat sticks
- 1 can of solid tuna in oil, 70 g / 2.5 oz.
- 1 egg
- 1 t granulated sugar
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
- 300 g / 10 oz. somen noodles
- Green onion or scallion, cut into thin strips
- Ginger, grated
Directions
- In a bowl, soak dried shiitake mushrooms in water for 3 hours. Drain, reserving the soaking water, and remove the stems. Pour soaking water into a saucepan with soy sauce and sugar, add shiitake and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and simmer until the shiitake have absorbed almost all the liquid, then cut them into thin strips.
- Mix Hon Tsuyu with the water to make tsuyu sauce.
- Cut the cucumber into thin strips 5 cm / 2 in. long, and loosen surimi sticks for easy eating. Drain canned tuna of excess oil and break into pieces.
- Beat egg; add granulated sugar and a pinch of salt. In a small lightly oiled non-stick frying pan, pour in just enough egg to thinly coat the bottom. Cook over low heat and flip when egg surface sets; remove from pan and cut into thin strips 5 cm / 2 in. long. Repeat this process until all the raw egg is used.
- In a pot, boil somen noodles following package instructions. Drain, rinse with water and drain again.
- Place somen in individual serving bowls with shiitake, cucumber, surimi sticks, tuna and egg. Garnish with green onion and ginger. Pour tsuyu sauce over the somen just before eating.
* If unavailable, tsuyu sauce can be made by bringing to a boil the following: 360 ml / 1 1/2 C dashi stock; 60 ml / 1/4 C Kikkoman Soy Sauce; 2-3 T Kikkoman Manjo Mirin. Allow to cool.
Recipe by Kikkoman Corporation
1 C (U.S. cup) = approx. 240 ml; 1 T = 15 ml; 1 t = 5 ml