Somen Noodles with Cucumber and Pork

• 150 grams Thinly sliced pork belly
• 2 Cucumbers
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• 2 tsp Grated ginger
• 2 tbsp Mirin
• 1 tbsp Sake
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 2 pinch Salt
• 150 ml Dashi stock
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Mirin
• 2 tbsp with slightly more water listed in the cooking instruction Or replace the ingredients for mentsuyu
• 1 tbsp White ground sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp White toasted sesame seeds
• 2 leaves Shiso leaves (or spring onions)
• 2 servings Somen noodles (or udon noodles)

1. Rub the pork with the ingredients.
2. Microwave at 700 W for 2 minutes.
3. (If you use mentsuyu, just thin with water.)
4. Cut the cucumber in half, hold the end and peel carefully with a peeler.
5. Sprinkle with a little salt and mix.
6. After wilted rinse and drain in a colander.
7. Squeeze out the excess water (do not leave the salted cucumber for too long, and work quickly).
8. Cook the somen noodles following the cooking instruction.
9. Rinse and remove the excess starch.
10. Drain in a colander.
11. Julienne the shiso leaves.
12. Microwave the pork at 700 W for 1.5 minutes.
13. (Do not cover the container tightly, and just cover lightly with cling film).
14. Take out from the microwave and add the soy sauce.
15. Mix well and return to the microwave to cook for further 1.5 minutes.
16. (Depending on the container you use, the cooking time may differ, so adjust).
17. Place the cooked somen noodles on a serving plate.
18. Place Step 4 pork on top.
19. Mix the leftover sauce, cucumber peels and ground sesame seeds.
20. Put on top of the pork (you can mix the shiso leaves at this point).
21. Garnish with the shiso leaves and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds.
22. Pour over the sauce.
23. On hot days chill Step 6 and before serving.
24. I put the seasoned meat on top, so the soup itself is diluted.
25. Stock homemade mentsuyu (dashi stock, soy sauce, and mirin in a 4:1:1 ratio) in advance.
26. If this is too strong, thin with water to your liking.
27. If serving the sauce with udon noodles, double the quantity of the soy sauce and mirin or else it may be too thin.

pork belly, cucumbers, soy sauce, ginger, mirin, sake, sugar, salt, stock, soy sauce, mirin, water, white ground sesame seeds, sesame seeds, onions, somen noodles

Taken from cookpad.com/us/recipes/144761-somen-noodles-with-cucumber-and-pork (may not work)