Somen for Summer

When the weather gets warmer, I immediately begin to crave the cold noodle dishes of my childhood.  Somen, Hiyashi Chuka and Zaru Soba are all favorites.  For some reason, somen noodles seem to taste better as Nagashi Somen, or flowing noodles diners fish out of a stream or special chute made of bamboo.  I usually serve Somen with mentsuyu sauce for dipping, with julienned cucumber, tamago, carrot, scallion, and ham on chicken. I recently came across a recipe for Chilled Tomato Somen from humblebeanblog.com and had to try it.  The somen noodles stand up well to the garlic, tomato, and basil and the wheat noodle is refreshingly light compared to pasta.