Ultimate Dashi Somen (Chicken Bone Broth Powder x Hondashi x Kombu Dashi)

Pour 250 ml of cold water into a bowl. The key is to make the soup with cold water rather than boiling it.

Add 3 teaspoons of chicken bone broth powder, 1/2 teaspoon of kombu dashi, and 1/3 teaspoon of hondashi to the cold water. If you do not have kombu dashi, substitute hondashi.

Add 3 shakes of Hi-Me to boost the umami. 3 shakes of Ajinomoto also works.

Add 5 shakes of black pepper, 5 g of grated garlic, 2 pinches of salt, and a little sugar. The garlic can be replaced with 8 shakes of garlic powder.

Mix well until the granules are completely dissolved, then drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Put it in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly.

Start bringing water to a boil for the somen. At the same time, prepare the ice water.

While waiting for the water to boil, cut the cucumber into random chunks. You can also break it by hand instead of using a knife.

Add 3 g of crumbled nori and 1/2 teaspoon of chicken bone broth powder to the cucumber, massage it in, and lightly drizzle with sesame oil. Add 1 pinch of salt if it needs more flavor.

Bring the water to a full boil and cook the somen for just 40 to 45 seconds. Blanch it quickly, in under a minute, which is shorter than the 2 minutes on the package.

Drain the cooked somen in a colander and place it in ice water for 1 minute to firm it up completely.

Squeeze the water out of the somen firmly, pour over the chilled soup, and serve. Adding a little more olive oil at the end gives it a glistening finish.

Drizzle on a little lemon juice to taste for a change of flavor. It gives a refreshing, naengmyeon-like taste.