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.

Wafu Burger

My husband and I love a Wafu Burger served at a small neighborhood restaurant.  It has an amazing topping of grated daikon with a gingery, soy flavor and was served on a bed of sauteed onions and bean sprouts.  At home I tried to recreate it with organic ground beef, lots of minced ginger, and a little soy sauce  and sesame oil.  Lightly mix until just combined, form into patties, and cook according to personal preference.  Unfortunately I realized a little too late that we were out of daikon.  I decided to top with beni shoga, a Japanese pickled ginger that I always have on hand for yakisoba.  It turned out pretty well, but I need to try again next time I have daikon on hand!