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Japanese Micro Season 8 小満 Shōman (Lesser ripening)

19/05/2020 Leave a comment

小満 Shōman (Lesser ripening)
May 21–25 蚕起食桑 Kaiko okite kuwa o hamu Silkworms start feasting on mulberry leaves

May 26–30 紅花栄 Benibana sakau Safflowers bloom

May 31–June 5 麦秋至 Mugi no toki itaru Wheat ripens and is harvested

The summer heat is starting to be felt now as temperatures rise in Japan. There is a vibrant spurt of growth in the fields.
Safflowers blooms are picked to make natural  textile dyes ranging from yellow to red in colour.

Towards the end of this micro season the wheat is harvested. People often forget that wheat is important in Japanese cooking because rice takes the forefront. However we must remember that noodles are made from wheat so we would have no ramen, somen, or udon without it. Also we have the barley to make barley miso or barley tea known as mugi cha, I particularly like this one by Sabo it is an organic roasted  barley that is loose instead of in a teabag form.


Of course beer is very popular in the hot summers of Japan with Asahi, Ebisu, Kirin, and Sapporo beer springing to mind. Do you have a favourite Japanese beer brand ?
As the temperatures start to rise cold noodles are enjoyed why not make Hiyashi Chuka a dish of cold ramen with various toppings and a dressing. It’s nice to choose refreshing vegetables for your ramen like cucumber and tomato, bell peppers and sweetcorn maybe. Then a dressing made with soy sauce and vinegar. I have a recipe on my pages with a lovely refreshing dressing. You could also make Tsukemen or dipping ramen. Ramen is dipped into a hot soup. Somen noodles are very much a favourite of summer in Japan

The noodles are very fine and are normally served chilled with ice and condiments for dipping and serving. Again I have a recipe on my pages for somen dishes.
I hope that over the summer you can try making a chilled noodle dish for yourself.

Blog, Summer Food

Somen & Bean Sprout Salad

23/04/2020 Leave a comment


In Japan there is a bean sprout salad with the name Moyashi Namuru, taken from the Korean name Namul, Moyashi means bean sprouts in Japanese. It makes an excellent side dish, however I decided to take this dish one step further by adding somen noodles to it. Somen are very fine noodles more often eaten chilled in the summertime. They take very little cooking just a few minutes in boiling water then once cooked are drained and rinsed in cold running water, to remove any excess starch. These somen noodles work perfectly with the bean sprouts and dressing to make this light but filling meal. You can even add more to the dish if you like maybe some finely sliced cucumber or if you can get it Myoga ginger.

First lightly steam a few handfuls of bean sprouts and set aside.
You will need to cook and drain one bundle of somen noodles and  rinse them well. You can keep them for a few moments in cold water while you get everything prepared ready.

To make a simple refreshing dressing add to a bowl:

x1 tablespoon of tamari or soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of Yuzu juice, x1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil and 1/2 tablespoon of mirin.

If you want to add anything else then slice that finely and set aside. I just used some chopped chives as I didn’t want to complicate the flavours to much.

The last thing is to add the bean sprouts to the noodles and gently toss them in and then add your dressing and chives, you could also use chopped green onion . I like to use chopsticks to mix everything together by lifting and dropping the noodles. Finish with a scatter of sesame seeds and chill in the fridge.

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Tanabata Summer Somen

07/07/2018 Leave a comment

Chilled Somen noodles with a dipping sauce is one of the most enjoyed foods on the Japanese holiday of Tanabata,which is on the 7th day of the 7th month. Tanabata is the star festival reuniting of the lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi or the stars Vega and Altair. Separated by the Milky Way all but for one night each year.

The Somen noodles are supposed to signify the Milky Way. On this day people write wishes on coloured strips of paper known as tanzaku and hang them on bamboo. See my  other Tanabata post on the blog for more pictures.

Somen noodles are made from wheat flour,salt and water and are very fine and delicate . Mostly white but you can get ones in green tea,Ume plum and egg variety. I have even been lucky to have yuzu ones before also. The coloured ones are said to represent the threads from which Orihime weaved her cloth as she was a weaver.

These noodles are normally served chilled sometimes with ice to keep them super cold,served hot in winter they are called new men. Because they are so fine and delicate they are normally sold in dried bundles but only take a few minutes to cook. Plunge straight away in cold water to avoid over cooking. Serve with condiments like chopped green onion,sesame seeds,ginger and grated daikon.

Or why not make a refreshing Somen salad like the one in my previous Tanabata post with cut cucumber stars .

What will you be wishing for this Tanabata?