Shizuoka chasomen, summer tea noodles

Summer in Japan means heat, humidity and sometimes crushing air pressure as heat waves and typhoons assault the archipelago. Your appetite may wane, and people here beat the heat with cool foods. There are iconic summer foods that don’t heat up your kitchen. Easy to make, and eat, dishes include chuka soba, chilled noodles with julienned cucumber, ham and omelet with a sesame-flavored dressing, unagi served over rice with a savory brown sauce, and kakigori shaved ice.

Another summer favorite is somen, thin wheat noodles served chilled, often over ice, with a light dipping sauce. In summertime, at some festivals and restaurants, you might find nagashi-somen, flowing somen noodles served in ice-cold water whizzing by in bamboo troughs. It takes a little skill to pick up the bundles of noodles and plop them in your bowl.

Many foods are flavored with the delicate scent of green tea, somen noodles included. At my local tea shop, I found the lovely variation on this summer treat, chasomen. Nakamura-en, a tea plantation in Shizuoka, produces Shizuoka green tea flavored somen noodles that can be prepared just like regular somen noodles. Shizuoka Prefecture is famed for its tea production nurtured its beautiful environment, and farms there account for 40% of the tea produced in Japan.

Chasomen, just like regular, somen noodles, are quick and easy to prepare, and I learned a trick to make the presentation even more attractive and appetizing. At the 100 yen shop, I got some kitchen string and tied three small bundles of the chasomen. According to the package instructions, I boiled them in plenty of water for about three minutes. Next time, I might cook them a little less, as I prefer my noodles al dente.

Rinse them in plenty of cold water, cut the bundled ends off, and swirl them about on a chilled plate or even better, in a glass bowl with some ice. I garnished my plate with shiso leaves bearing grated ginger root and wakame seaweed. For dipping sauce, I used store-bought soba tsuyu. The chasomen are a vibrant green color and have a subtle but noticeable tea flavor. On the side, I served tempura fish and vegetables to make a full meal.

For my next summer dinner of chasomen, I’ll prepare a lighter konbu seaweed-based broth. My guy taught me another good way to served chilled noodles. He uses any store-bought tsuyu broth cut with an equal amount of green tea. It’s a great way to enhance the tea flavor.

This post is supported by Shizuoka Green Tea Guide, one of City-Cost's Supporters helping City-Cost bloggers to enjoy life in Japan and engage in new experiences.