Japanese noodle salad

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g noodles (somen), Japanese buckwheat noodles
• 1 can tuna, in its own juice or water
• 1 small cucumber(s)
• ½ bunch of spring onions
• 8 tbsp mayonnaise, Japanese
• Salt
• Black pepper, freshly ground
• Soy sauce
• 1 egg(s), hard-boiled, as desired

Instructions

Working time approx. 5 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

with tuna and cucumber

Cook the somen according to the package instructions, drain in a sieve, and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking, then set aside. Drain the tuna thoroughly through a sieve. Meanwhile, peel and deseed the cucumber and finely dice it, and trim the spring onions and slice them diagonally into thin strips. Place the cucumber, spring onion, and mayonnaise in a bowl and season with salt, freshly ground black or mixed pepper, and soy sauce. It can be a little spicier than the desired final result, as the noodles will neutralize some of the spice. Now fold in the tuna and, if desired, the egg (cut once lengthwise and once crosswise in an egg slicer). Add the noodles and mix well with the mixture, taking care not to mash the tuna. Tip: Japanese mayonnaise is a bit spicier than the local version, but it’s hard to find and quite expensive. There’s a cheap and easy way to replace it (also in other recipes). To do this, simply mix 8 tablespoons of mayonnaise or salad cream with 2-4 pinches of wasabi powder and a tiny dash of soy sauce (preferably light). It’s important that the wasabi doesn’t overpower the flavor, but only adds a little flavor, so add it carefully, a little at a time, and taste it regularly.