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Eggplant Somen ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Ishikawa Prefecture

    Eggplant Somen

Eggplant Somen

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  • Main lore areas

    Around Kanazawa

  • Main ingredients used

    Eggplant, somen

  • History/origin/related events

    Ishikawa Prefecture was once known as a production area of the somen (thin noodles). In Wajima City, Okunoto, which used to be a major production area, the production of somen was rooted in the Muromachi period (1336 - 1573) and has a longer history than the lacquerware “Wajimanuri”. In the Edo period (1603-1868), the reputation grew even more, and it was exported to various regions. The common people used it as a specialty gift, and the famous brands were even used as a gift to the shogun (general). However, by the beginning of the Showa period (1926-1989), it declined as an industry, and the specialty was replaced by Wajimanuri. The "Daimon Somen" made in Tonami City's Daimon district in Toyama Prefecture is said to have been handed down from Noto through medicine peddlers in the late Edo period. The vestiges of the production center of somen can be seen in the local dish, "Eggplant Somen", eaten in Kanazawa City. “Eggplant Somen" is a dish of simmered eggplant and somen. Since the somen are simmered softly, they are eaten more like nimono (simmered dishes) than noodle dishes.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    It is still made daily as a light side dish during hot weather or when one is suffering from summer fatigue and lacks an appetite. In the past, it was often prepared as a Bon Festival dish, but nowadays it is served at any time of the year because ingredients are available year-round.
    As a local dish of Kanazawa City, it is a combination of leftover somen noodles and eggplant, and is served as a stew or soup. Recently, it is also served at more restaurants.

  • How to eat

    First, boil the sliced eggplant in soup stock. When the eggplant is cooked to a certain degree, add the pre-boiled somen noodles, let them simmer for a minute, and eat. It is usually seasoned with soy sauce, but some households choose to use miso. There is no fixed recipe, and each household has its own way of making it, such as boiling dried somen noodles. It can be eaten hot or cold. The texture of Soumen varies greatly depending on how well it is simmered. It takes some practice to cook somen noodles and eggplant well.
    It is also called "Eggplant Soumen Kabushi" because the taste of the eggplant and the Soumen that has been covered with the color of soy sauce (meaning "dyed" in the dialect) after simmering becomes blended with the taste of the eggplant, making it delicious.
    The use of heta-murasaki eggplant, a brand-name vegetable grown in Kanazawa City, adds a unique sweetness to the dish, making it even more delicious.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    It can be purchased at local supermarkets and delicatessens. It is still eaten daily as a home-cooked dish.

RECIPE

Ingredients

  • eggplant (Solanum melongena) 4 pieces
  • somen noodles 2 bunches
  • soup stock 1／2 cup
  • light soy sauce 2 1／2 to 1 3 tips.
  • Mirin (sweet cooking sake) 2／3 to 1 tips.
  • sake 1 tips.
  • A] Dashi broth 1 cup or more

How to cook

  • 1. Remove the stem from the eggplant, make slits in the skin, and soak it in lightly salted water to remove the bitterness.

  • 2. Boil the somen noodles until al dente, then rinse and drain them.

  • 3. Heat the dashi broth, season it to be slightly on the salty side, and simmer the eggplant. Once the eggplant is tender, add the dashi broth from A as needed to adjust the seasoning, then add the somen noodles. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the flavors meld.

Recipe Arrangements

If somen noodles are added without boiling, add enough dashi broth to taste, as the somen will release salt.

provider : Etsuko Aoki's New Jiwamon Oukoku Kanazawa Ryori (Author: Etsuko Aoki)

Recipes vary depending on the region and home.

This recipe video has been partially arranged to make it easier to cook at home.

Contact

Food Cultures Office, Overseas Market Development and Food Cultures Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tel:+81-3-3502-5516

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