I recreated nagashi somen, the flowing somen noodles from Japan, in a single easy recipe that uncovers its cultural roots and slips in a few handy Japan Travel Tips for curious cooks.
I still remember the first time I clumsily grabbed a slippery strand of somen noodles from a bamboo chute, laughing as it slipped away. Nagashi somen turns a meal into a playful contest, not just dinner, and it pulled me into the sort of spontaneous joy you read about in Japan Places To Visit blurbs.
I like a little grated daikon radish with each mouthful, it cools the flavor and gives a clean bite that keeps you reaching for more. If you’re plotting summer plans, think about trying this on Tokyo Japan Travel, it’s messy, simple and oddly addictive.
Ingredients
- Thin wheat noodles; mostly carbs for quick energy, low fat, easy to slurp.
- Mentsuyu concentrate: salty umami sauce, adds depth and sweetness depending on brand, uses soy and dashi.
- Dashi stock: savory fish broth, low calorie, brings rich umami and subtle ocean flavor.
- Soy sauce: high sodium umami punch, it’s deep savory saltiness, little calories, boosts flavor fast.
- Mirin: sweet rice wine, gives gentle sweetness and glossy finish, balances salty notes.
- Daikon radish: crunchy, watery, low calorie, provides subtle peppery bite and refreshing texture.
- Shiso leaves: aromatic herb, minty basil like taste, bright fragrant lift, adds freshness.
- Nori: toasty seaweed, umami rich, adds chew and iodine, little calories, savory finish.
Ingredient Quantities
- 400 g somen noodles (about 14 oz)
- 1 cup mentsuyu concentrate (store bought, optional)
- 2 cups dashi stock (if making tsuyu from scratch)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup mirin
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 6 cups very cold water for flowing and rinsing
- 4 cups ice cubes
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup grated daikon radish
- 2 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp wasabi paste or to taste
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 small cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 sheet nori cut into thin strips
- 4 to 6 shiso leaves torn or thinly sliced
How to Make this
1. Make the dipping sauce first: either dilute 1 cup mentsuyu concentrate with 3 to 4 cups cold water to taste, or make tsuyu from scratch by bringing 2 cups dashi, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup mirin and 1 tbsp sugar to a quick simmer just to dissolve the sugar, then cool and chill — taste and adjust.
2. Prep the garnishes: thinly slice 3 scallions, grate 1/2 cup daikon, grate 2 tsp ginger, thinly slice 1 small cucumber, tear or thinly slice 4 to 6 shiso leaves, cut 1 sheet nori into thin strips, and measure 1 tsp wasabi and 2 tbsp sesame seeds. Quickly toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant if they arent already toasted.
3. Boil the somen: bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil, add 400 g somen and stir gently so they dont stick. Cook only 2 to 3 minutes or according to package instructions until just al dente.
4. Shock and chill the noodles: drain the somen immediately and rinse under very cold running water while rubbing gently to remove starch. Transfer to a bowl of very cold water with plenty of ice (use the 6 cups very cold water and the 4 cups ice cubes as needed) and keep them submerged until serving so they stay firm and icy cold.
5. Prepare your flowing setup: if you have a bamboo chute use it, if not a smooth gutter or long shallow tray works. Fill the chute with very cold water and some ice to keep temperature down, and keep a gentle flow by pouring from a pitcher or using a small pump so noodles move along but dont get smashed.
6. Portion the tsuyu and condiments: ladle chilled tsuyu into small individual dipping bowls. Put scallions, grated daikon, grated ginger, a dab of wasabi, cucumber slices, nori strips, shiso leaves and toasted sesame seeds on small plates so everyone can customize their bowl.
7. Serve and catch the noodles: using chopsticks try to catch the flowing somen as they pass, dip into the tsuyu with your custom garnishes then eat. If noodles start to clump in the chute, give the water a quick flush with fresh ice water to loosen them.
8. Keep things cold and fresh: keep extra somen in the ice water bowl and replenish the chute water with more ice water as it warms. If noodles get too sticky, plunge them back into boiling water for 5–10 seconds then re-shock in ice water.
9. Leftovers and cleanup: drain leftover somen well and toss with a little sesame oil if storing, or serve chilled with more tsuyu within a few hours. Rinse and dry your chute or tray right away so it doesnt stain or smell.
Equipment Needed
1. Large stock pot (5 to 8 qt) for boiling the somen, you’ll want a big one so it wont boil over
2. Fine-mesh colander or strainer to drain the noodles fast
3. Extra-large bowl for the ice bath, plus lots of ice to shock and chill the noodles
4. Bamboo chute or long shallow tray / smooth gutter to set up the flowing somen
5. Pitcher or small submersible pump to keep a gentle flow of very cold water
6. Chopsticks for catching noodles and a slotted spoon or spider for stirring / lifting
7. Cutting board and a sharp chef’s knife for scallions, cucumber and nori
8. Grater or microplane for daikon and ginger
9. Small dipping bowls and a ladle for portioning the tsuyu, plus small plates for condiments
10. Dry skillet to quickly toast the sesame seeds if they arent pre-toasted
FAQ
Flowing Noodles Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Somen noodles: try rice vermicelli or thin rice noodles if you need gluten free, or angel hair pasta if thats what you have. Cook a bit less than package directions and rinse in cold water right away to keep them springy.
- Mentsuyu concentrate: make a quick tsuyu by mixing dashi, soy sauce, mirin and a little sugar (same stuff listed in the recipe). For a vegetarian or gluten free version use kombu dashi and tamari, and dilute to taste.
- Mirin: use sake plus sugar (about 1 tbsp sake and 1/2 tsp sugar for each 1 tbsp mirin). Dry sherry or a sweet white wine plus a pinch of sugar works too.
- Wasabi paste: prepared horseradish gives similar heat, or use a smear of Dijon or extra grated ginger for a different kind of bite.
Pro Tips
1) Make the dipping sauce a little stronger than you think, cold mutes flavor. Taste as you chill it and dilute only if it still seems too salty, dont be shy with a tiny extra splash of mirin or mentsuyu concentrate.
2) Keep everything cold, not just the noodles. Chill bowls and chopsticks in the fridge, use metal or glass bowls if you can, and refresh the ice water often so the noodles stay snappy.
3) Prevent clumps by giving the noodles a quick gentle finger-separate in the ice bath before they go in the chute, and keep a long chopstick handy to tease them apart as they flow. If they do glue up, a very quick reheat then re-shock fixes them fast.
4) Prep garnishes smart: grate daikon and squeeze out excess water so it doesnt water down your tsuyu, toast sesame seeds right before serving for max aroma, and consider freezing a little concentrated tsuyu into ice cubes to chill bowls without diluting the dip.
Flowing Noodles Recipe
I recreated nagashi somen, the flowing somen noodles from Japan, in a single easy recipe that uncovers its cultural roots and slips in a few handy Japan Travel Tips for curious cooks.
4
servings
476
kcal
Equipment: 1. Large stock pot (5 to 8 qt) for boiling the somen, you’ll want a big one so it wont boil over
2. Fine-mesh colander or strainer to drain the noodles fast
3. Extra-large bowl for the ice bath, plus lots of ice to shock and chill the noodles
4. Bamboo chute or long shallow tray / smooth gutter to set up the flowing somen
5. Pitcher or small submersible pump to keep a gentle flow of very cold water
6. Chopsticks for catching noodles and a slotted spoon or spider for stirring / lifting
7. Cutting board and a sharp chef’s knife for scallions, cucumber and nori
8. Grater or microplane for daikon and ginger
9. Small dipping bowls and a ladle for portioning the tsuyu, plus small plates for condiments
10. Dry skillet to quickly toast the sesame seeds if they arent pre-toasted
Ingredients
400 g somen noodles (about 14 oz)
1 cup mentsuyu concentrate (store bought, optional)
2 cups dashi stock (if making tsuyu from scratch)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup mirin
1 tbsp granulated sugar
6 cups very cold water for flowing and rinsing
4 cups ice cubes
3 scallions thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated daikon radish
2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp wasabi paste or to taste
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 small cucumber thinly sliced
1 sheet nori cut into thin strips
4 to 6 shiso leaves torn or thinly sliced
Directions
- Make the dipping sauce first: either dilute 1 cup mentsuyu concentrate with 3 to 4 cups cold water to taste, or make tsuyu from scratch by bringing 2 cups dashi, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup mirin and 1 tbsp sugar to a quick simmer just to dissolve the sugar, then cool and chill — taste and adjust.
- Prep the garnishes: thinly slice 3 scallions, grate 1/2 cup daikon, grate 2 tsp ginger, thinly slice 1 small cucumber, tear or thinly slice 4 to 6 shiso leaves, cut 1 sheet nori into thin strips, and measure 1 tsp wasabi and 2 tbsp sesame seeds. Quickly toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant if they arent already toasted.
- Boil the somen: bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil, add 400 g somen and stir gently so they dont stick. Cook only 2 to 3 minutes or according to package instructions until just al dente.
- Shock and chill the noodles: drain the somen immediately and rinse under very cold running water while rubbing gently to remove starch. Transfer to a bowl of very cold water with plenty of ice (use the 6 cups very cold water and the 4 cups ice cubes as needed) and keep them submerged until serving so they stay firm and icy cold.
- Prepare your flowing setup: if you have a bamboo chute use it, if not a smooth gutter or long shallow tray works. Fill the chute with very cold water and some ice to keep temperature down, and keep a gentle flow by pouring from a pitcher or using a small pump so noodles move along but dont get smashed.
- Portion the tsuyu and condiments: ladle chilled tsuyu into small individual dipping bowls. Put scallions, grated daikon, grated ginger, a dab of wasabi, cucumber slices, nori strips, shiso leaves and toasted sesame seeds on small plates so everyone can customize their bowl.
- Serve and catch the noodles: using chopsticks try to catch the flowing somen as they pass, dip into the tsuyu with your custom garnishes then eat. If noodles start to clump in the chute, give the water a quick flush with fresh ice water to loosen them.
- Keep things cold and fresh: keep extra somen in the ice water bowl and replenish the chute water with more ice water as it warms. If noodles get too sticky, plunge them back into boiling water for 5–10 seconds then re-shock in ice water.
- Leftovers and cleanup: drain leftover somen well and toss with a little sesame oil if storing, or serve chilled with more tsuyu within a few hours. Rinse and dry your chute or tray right away so it doesnt stain or smell.
Notes
- Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 320g
- Total number of serves: 4
- Calories: 476kcal
- Fat: 3.8g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Polyunsaturated: 1.5g
- Monounsaturated: 0.8g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 1700mg
- Potassium: 250mg
- Carbohydrates: 95g
- Fiber: 3g
- Sugar: 15g
- Protein: 11g
- Vitamin A: 200IU
- Vitamin C: 4mg
- Calcium: 60mg
- Iron: 2mg
