Try this for a hot summer day

In Japan, we usually eat somen noodle in summer. Cool noodle is great way to create an appetite on a hot day. I put some shabu shabu beef here to add some volume to the meal before my husband starts shouting “Where is the meat?”.  For the vegetarian, just remove the beef and add extra tofu and shiitake. It will still be very yummy.

 Cold beef and somen noodle (for two)

Ingredients

200g thinly sliced beef

1 bunch English spinach

4-5 dried shiitake

100g silken tofu

3 bunches somen noodle

Miso dressing

2tsp Mirin

1tbs white miso

1tbs water

1tps white vinegar

1tsp brown sugar

2tsp sesame oil

1tbs grilled roasted sesame seeds

Methods

1. Bring water to boil in a big pot, then boil the somen. Follow the instructions on the packet. Once somen is cooked, wash it in cold water and leave it in a bowl with 
water. Keep somen in the fridge to cool (if you don’t have time, add some ice 
cubes to the bowl). 

2. *Do not throw away the boiling water, which you cooked the 
somen in. Use it to cook tofu and the beef to make shabu shabu beef later on

Take tofu out from the packet and drain water, then cut into 2cm cubes. Use the water, which you boiled the somen in and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes.
    

3. Soak shiitake in warm to hot water in a deep bowl for about ½ hour. Put a lid on, to 
make sure shiitake is soaked properly (see my daikon no kimono        
recipehttp://cookwitheri.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/daikon-no-nimono.html).
 
4.Cut beef into 4 cm length, grab the meat with a pair of chop sticks and do a 
swimming like motion in the hot water, which you used to cook the somen earlier 
on. Do not overcook the meat or it will become tough. Once all meat has been 
cooked through the hot water, leave them on  the side (See my shabu shabu recipe http://cookwitheri.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/shabu-shabu.html).

5. Wash spinach well.  Do not cut them at this stage. Bring water to boil in a big 

enough pot for the whole spinach. Once water is boiling, add a pinch of salt. Grab a  bunch of washed spinach and put it in the pot roots first, then slowly put them in boiling water until covered with hot water. It only takes few minutes (do not over  cook: see my sesame magic recipe for instructions. 

http://cookwitheri.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/sesame-magic.html).

6. Once it's cooked, drain spinach, then run it under running water to stop further 

cooking. Once it is cooled, put the bunch together (same side together, such as all roots on one side) and squeeze the spinach by hand. Cut off the roots then cut them into about 5 cm length.

7. Take shiitake out of the bowl and squeeze liquid out. Slice in 3mm strips.

Make the miso dressing
8. Use a suribachi (Japanese mortar and pestle: see the sesame magic recipe again) to grind roasted sesame seeds first. Add miso, water, vinegar, brown sugar and sesame oil into suribachi. 
And mix all together until smooth.

9. Take somen out from the fridge. Drain water, then serve somen in a bowl then add spinach, tofu, shiitake and beef on top of the somen. Drizzle the miso dressing over it.

  You can get somen noodle and dried shiitaki from major super markets.

  You can get a suribachi at Japanese grocer.