To cook dried noodles such as soba, udon or somen, add the noodles little by little to boiling water and stir with chopsticks so they will not stick together. For soba and udon, when the water starts boiling, add cold water to slow it down and then bring to a boil again. Drain the noodles in a colander and wash under running water to remove the surface starch. Drain well. Cooking time for somen depends on the thickness of the noodles. Please refer to the directions on the package.