Somen champul (somen chanpul) is a delicious stir-fry made from somen noodles (thin wheat noodles). Shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced green onions, and some kind of meat or fish such as Spam, chunk tunaor thinly sliced pork can be added to the noodles. The dish is topped with a little bit of Okinawa-style hot sauce called koregusu (コーレーグースー). Koregusu is made from awamori (a strong drink resembling vodka) and hot peppers.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 package somen noodles
  
• 5-6 dried shiitake mushrooms
  
• thinly sliced green onions
• sesame seed oil
• sea salt
• koregusu (コーレーグースー)
• piyashi spice (ぴーやし、フィファーチ、ヒハチ、ピパーツ) (a unique peppery spice from the southern Yaeyama islands)
  

Directions

1. Soak the shiitake in water until soft then slice thinly
   (the water an be saved and used later for soup stock, etc.)
   
2. Chop the green onions into small pieces
   
3. Prepare the somen noodles according to the directions on the package, drain well and set aside
4. Heat a little sesame seed oil in a wok
5. Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and heat through
   
6. Add the cooked and drained somen noodles and stir fry
   
7. Sprinkle on a little sea salt to taste
   
8. Add the green onions
   
9. Gently mix then arrange on a large dish
   
10. Serve with a little koregusu and piyashi