Make a Cold Noodle Bowl, an Easy Summer recipe

When it’s too hot to cook, try an easy summer recipe. My go-to is a cold noodle bowl.

First, the noodles. Somen, thin Japanese wheat noodles, cooks in just one to two minutes; while soba, thin, brown, buckwheat noodles, takes just a few minute more. Either is delicious served cold with a dipping sauce.

You can buy a bottle of tsuyu, a noodle broth and dipping sauce concentrate, at Asian grocery stores, online, or at some supermarkets in the aisle. The label on the bottle will tell you how much water to use to thin it down—more for a soup stock; less for dipping.

For an easy summer recipe, you simply boil the noodles following package directions, drain in a colander, and chill under running water with some ice cubes.

Make a dipping sauce by diluting the tsuyu and serve with sliced green onion and nori shreds. (Toast the nori sheet over your stovetop burner following this how-to video; then use kitchen scissors to cut the nori in shreds.)

Total time to get dinner on the table should take no more than 15 to 20 minutes, start to finish. To balance the meal, accompany with tofu cubes to drizzle with soy sauce and a small salad, and call it a day.

Easy Summer Recipe for Bento Boxes

Somen with dipping sauce is also great for a child’s bento box lunch. Just cook the noodles and dilute the dipping sauce from a bottle of tsuyu.

For protein, split cocktail sausage lengthwise into quarters halfway up the sausage to form tentacles, and fry the sausages. Add eyes as picks.

Or, for a bit more effort for a summer supper, make a Cold Noodle Bowl.

Cold Noodle Bowl

• 1 package (9 ounces) somen noodles
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons naturally brewed soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon sriracha (more if you like it hot)
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups shredded lettuce (crisp lettuce, such as iceberg or romaine)
• Condiments (see some choices below), cut in matchstick pieces or sliced
• 4 teaspoons toasted white sesame seeds

Cook somen following package directions. Drain and rinse under cool running water. Let sit in colander with a handful of ice cubes to chill completely while making the dressing.

To make the dressing: in a jar with tight-fitting lid, combine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and sriracha. Cover lid and shake to blend ingredients. Add vegetable oil and shake again until dressing is well blended.

Add ½ cup lettuce to each of 4 soup bowls. Discard any unmelted ice cubes and add the noodles, dividing equally. Top with condiments of your choice. Drizzle with dressing, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Notes:

• For this Cold Noodle Bowl pictured, condiments are deli ham, carrots, radishes, cherry tomatoes, green onion and a thin, 1-egg omelet cooked in a broad, nonstick skillet and shredded with a sharp knife.
• To toast sesame seeds, heat them in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring so they brown evenly, until seeds smell fragrant and begin popping, about 3 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning.

Some Protein Choices:

• Ham
• Drained canned salmon
• Char siu pork
• Kamaboko (Japanese fish cake)
• Omelet

Some Vegetable Choices:

• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Radishes
• Green onion
• Cherry tomato halves
• Beansprouts

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