We've been going through some tough days lately due to the humidity, and sometimes the weather takes our appetite off. When we lose appetite, we tend to have cold food. Today, I'd like to introduce sōmen to you.

Sōmen is a type of noodles in Japan and mostly served as cold noodle during the summer. We love having cold food to cool ourselves down. So, sōmen is one of the most popular dishes then.

The history of sōmen is long and it's said it's started during the Nara period (710 to 794). Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture is famous for its sōmen and it's said the area called Miwa is its birthplace.

The picture below shows a different brand called Ibonoito from Hyogo Prefecture. Sōmen has sold as dried noodle so that you need to boil them first.

After boiling, rinse them in cold water to chill them. Then, they're ready to eat.

Sōmen itself is mainly made from flour, so it's a good idea to add more nutritious ingredients such as vegetables and proteins. The picture below shows the ingredients I prepared. I prepared egg, cucumber, tomato, some herbs from my garden, my homemade fermented ginger and age ( fried tofu).

We pour sōmen-tsuyu (sōmen dipping sauce) into a bowl and add some ingredients into it.

Then, we dip the boiled sōmen into it and have it. It's especially delicious when we've lost appetite. The noodle goes down so easily and so refreshing. It definitely helps our appetite come back.

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