Tuna Somen
ツナそうめん · Tsuna Somen
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Somen are very thin Japanese wheat noodles, served cold in summer with a chilled dipping-style sauce made from dashi, soy sauce and mirin. Here they are topped with flaked tuna, tender wakame seaweed and little rounds of okra, then the cold sauce is poured straight over the bowl so it eats like a light noodle soup. The sauce is gently seasoned for small children, and the noodles are snapped in half before boiling so they are easier to pick up and slurp. It is a favorite on hot days when appetites are small.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 60 gdried somen noodlesVery thin dried Japanese wheat noodles that cook in a couple of minutes. Substitute: Thin rice vermicelli (wheat-free), or angel hair pasta (contains wheat).
- 0.5 gdried cut wakameSmall pieces of dried wakame seaweed that rehydrate in a few minutes and are used in soups and salads. Substitute: Any dried seaweed for soup, or omit.
- 7.5 gokra
- 24 gcanned tuna in oil
Seasonings
- 150 gbonito and kombu dashiJapanese soup stock made from dried bonito flakes and kombu kelp, the everyday base for soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a light vegetable or chicken stock.
- 4.5 gmirinMirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- 4.5 gsoy sauce
- 0.2 gsalt
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- dried somen noodles (干しそうめん)
- Very thin dried Japanese wheat noodles that cook in a couple of minutes. Substitute: Thin rice vermicelli (wheat-free), or angel hair pasta (contains wheat).
- dried cut wakame (カットわかめ)
- Small pieces of dried wakame seaweed that rehydrate in a few minutes and are used in soups and salads. Substitute: Any dried seaweed for soup, or omit.
- bonito and kombu dashi (かつお・昆布だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock made from dried bonito flakes and kombu kelp, the everyday base for soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a light vegetable or chicken stock.
- mirin (みりん)
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
Directions
- 1
Bring the dashi to a boil and add the seasonings. Once it returns to a boil, turn off the heat and set the pan in cold water to chill.
- 2
Snap the somen noodles in half and boil them. Rinse under cold running water to cool.
- 3
Soak the wakame in water to rehydrate and chop it finely; slice the okra into rounds. Boil each separately, then rinse under cold running water to cool.
- 4
Drain the oil from the tuna.
- 5
Put the boiled somen in a bowl, arrange the toppings from steps 3 and 4 on top, and pour the chilled sauce from step 1 over everything.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 282 kcal | 564 kcal | 282 kcal |
| Protein | 11.1 g | 22.2 g | 11.1 g |
| Fat | 5.9 g | 11.7 g | 5.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 50.8 g | 101.7 g | 50.8 g |
| Salt equivalent | 3.6 g | 7.2 g | 3.6 g |
| Calcium | 28.5 mg | 57 mg | 28.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.6 mg | 1.2 mg | 0.6 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 282 kcal | 11.1 g | 5.9 g | 50.8 g | 3.6 g | 28.5 mg | 0.6 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 564 kcal | 22.2 g | 11.7 g | 101.7 g | 7.2 g | 57 mg | 1.2 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
