What you see in the photo is not ‘Somen’ Noodles. I used ‘Capellini’ (Angel Hair Pasta) this time, because someone had eaten all my ‘Somen’ in the pantry! Fortunately I had ‘Capellini’, which textures is similar to the texture of ‘Somen’. Italian pasta are actually quite suitable for Japanese cooking. This is a summer dish and it should be served COLD. You need to cook Eggplant and chill in the fridge in advance.

Makes

2 Servings

Ingredients

1 medium (*about 300g) Eggplant *cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons Canola Oil
1/2 cup ‘Mentsuyu’
*Note: See ‘Method 1’ to find how to make ‘Mentsuyu’
Chilli Flakes *as required
1 teaspoon Grated Ginger *optional
1 Spring Onion *finely chopped
2 servings ‘Somen’ Noodles OR Capellini (Angel Hair Pasta)

Method
  1. To make 1/2 cup ‘Mentsuyu’, combine following ingredients in a saucepan and boil for a few minutes. See more details at ‘Mentsuyu’ recipe page.
    – 1/2 cup Water
    – 1/3 teaspoon Instant Dashi Powder
    – 1 & 1/2 tablespoons Mirin
    – 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
  2. Heat Oil in a frying pan, cook Eggplant over medium heat until soft.
  3. Combine ‘Mentsuyu’, Chilli Flakes and Ginger (*optional) in a bowl, add cooked Eggplant and set aside to cool. When cooled, place in the fridge to chill.
  4. Cook ‘Somen’ Noodles as instructed. DO NOT add salt into the water. If you cook ‘Capellini’, you need to add some Salt to the water.
  5. When noodles are cooked, drain and rinse well in COLD water, and drain well again. The noodles should be cold.
  6. Place drained cold ‘Somen’ Noodles in a bowl, place the marinated eggplant, top with some finely chopped Spring Onion, then pour the marinade (mostly ‘Mentsuyu’) over and enjoy!