Somen Salad [Japanese Noodle Salad]

Bowl of somen noodles with a pair of black chopsticks balancing on the side

Somen Salad [Japanese Noodle Salad]

A light and refreshing Japanese somen salad made with thin noodles, egg, kamaboko, and crisp vegetables. Tossed in an easy soy sesame dressing, it’s the perfect summer side or light meal.

Course Salad

Cuisine American, Asian

Diet Low Lactose

Dietary Dairy Free, Nut Free, Pescatarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings people

Calories 133kcal

Author Amy Chung

Ingredients

Salad

2 eggs omelette, thinly sliced
1 kamaboko 160g
1 cucumber` medium
1 carrot small
1 stalk scallion (spring onion)
2 bundles somen noodles
1 tsp white sesame seeds
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Salad Dressing

1 tbsp avocado oil
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Salad

Crack 1 egg and beat. Pour into a hot fry pan and cook a thin omelette. Set aside. Repeat with a second egg.
Fold each omelette into thirds, lengthways and slice very thinly.
Slice kamaboko.
Julienne cucumber and carrot.
Finely chop scallion (spring onion).
In a pot of boiling water, add somen noodles and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to dry.

Salad Dressing

Add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.

Assembly

On a plate, place the somen noodles in the middle.
Add the kamaboko, carrot, omelette, and cucumber in a circle.
Place chopped scallions (spring onion) on top in the middle.
Pour dressing all over the somen noodle salad.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and a pinch of salt and pepper. Serve

Video

Notes

There are so many different toppings you can add to the somen noodles salad. However, some of the popular variations include ham, spam, char siu (Chinese BBQ pork), cabbage, cilantro, lettuce, pea shoots, edamame, and bell pepper.
For a vegetarian option, omit the kamaboko and either fill the somen salad with more vegetable options in terms of quantity and variety or you can even add strips of marinated tofu.
There is no real alternative for somen noodles but understand that this is such a great recipe. Try getting angel hair pasta to replicate the thinness of the somen noodles. The next best thing would be vermicelli noodles.
If you would like the somen salad dressing to have a little more sweetness and be fruitier, add 1 tsp of mirin.
If you want to really mix it up and bring it up a notch, you can add some wasabi or sriracha to the ingredients.

Nutrition