Nyumen & Somen: Japanese Noodle Dishes

by Tomo · Published June 16, 2019 · Updated August 26, 2022

Since a while ago, convenience stores near my house have been selling chilled pre-prepared noodles.

Somen (素麺) is among them, and you may know this if you are acquainted with Japanese foods.

But how about Nyumen (にゅうめん)?

What are Nyumen and Somen?

In case you don’t know, I will explain this time what they are.

First, Somen is a traditional Japanese noodle made from wheat flour, salt, and water.

It is a thin white noodle with a smooth, slippery texture that is perfect for summer.

Specifically, the dried one produced by the machine has a long diameter of less than 1.3 mm.

After boiling, Somen is chilled with cold water, washed by hand, and served on a plate, often with ice cubes.

The broth typically consists of water, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and dashi (soup stock), served in a cup, separately from Somen.

Thus, you eat the noodles, dipping them in the broth each time.

Meanwhile, Nyumen, written as 煮麺 using Kanji (Chinese characters), meaning simmered noodles, is a hot bowl of Somen.

It is a specialty of Nara Prefecture, known as the birthplace of Somen, and Miwa Somen (三輪素麺) is the ideal noodle for this dish.

Nyumen is not only available in Nara, but we enjoy it at home all year round, cooking from scratch using Somen.