Summer Fruit & Foie Gras Somen
Get your ice bath ready and your pan smoking hot.
The Lineup
- The Base: 2 packs (260g total) fresh somen
- The Bridge: 1 to 1.5 pouches Choko Ume Katsuo Mazeru Mentsuyu
- The Crunch: Broccoli, cut into tiny, bite-sized florets
- The Sweetness: Grapes, sliced in half, and mandarin oranges
- The Decadence: A small lobe of foie gras
- The Caramelization: A single drop of sweet soy sauce
- The Aromatic: A massive mountain of sliced negi
- The Heat: Toh's Daily Chili Crunch, served on the side
The Execution
1. The ice bath prep. Fill a large mixing bowl with cold water and a ton of ice cubes. You need this ready before you turn on the stove, because everything moves fast.
2. The veggie blanch. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Drop the tiny broccoli florets in for exactly 30 seconds, until they turn bright, vibrant green. Scoop them out quickly and plunge them straight into the ice bath to stop the cooking and lock in the crunch.
3. The 45-second shock. Using the exact same boiling water, drop in both packs of fresh somen. Do not walk away — stir gently and boil for exactly 45 seconds. Drain immediately in a colander and plunge straight into the ice bath with the broccoli. Swish them around until they are aggressively cold, then drain them incredibly well so you don't water down the sauce.
4. The hard sear. Get a skillet screaming hot — no oil, the liver has enough fat. Drop the foie gras in and sear it hard and fast, about 30 to 45 seconds a side, for a crisp crust with the inside still meltingly soft. Right before it comes out of the pan, hit it with a single drop of sweet soy sauce so it aggressively caramelizes around the edges.
5. The toss. In a large dry bowl, combine the ice-cold, well-drained somen and the chilled broccoli. Pour in one full pouch of the ume katsuo sauce and toss vigorously. Taste it. With 260g of noodles you may want a splash from a second pouch to get the coating right.
6. The final build. Twirl the sauced noodles and broccoli into the serving bowl. Scatter the halved grapes and the mandarin around the perimeter. Place the seared, sweet-soy-glazed foie gras dead centre. Bury a good portion of the bowl under an absolute mountain of sliced negi. Serve immediately, with the chili crunch on the side.
Snap the photo before the foie gras fat starts melting into the cold noodles.