Cucumber Sunomono (Japanese Cucumber Salad)

Enjoy cucumbers the traditional Japanese way! Cucumber Sunomono, a classic Japanese appetizer, is a simple yet flavorful dish that lets you enjoy cucumbers with a refreshing taste. The recipe uses a traditional Japanese technique to enhance the flavors, creating a clear and distinct taste.

Cucumber Sunomono is a dish made by sprinkling salt on thinly sliced or julienned cucumbers to draw out excess moisture, then tossing them with seasoned vinegar. The term "Sunomono" refers to traditional Japanese salads dressed with vinegar. Using vinegar helps reduce the grassy flavor of cucumbers, allowing you to enjoy their crunchy texture with a mild acidity.

In Japan, there are many variations of sunomono, such as "Su Renkon" (pickled lotus root) and "Kohaku Namasu" (pickled daikon radish and carrot salad). However, since each variation is typically referred to by its specific name, when simply mentioning 'sunomono,' it usually refers to cucumber sunomono.

It is easy to make and allows you to enjoy cucumbers with a refreshing taste, making it a beloved dish in Japan for generations. I hope you will try this classic Japanese dish and enjoy it yourself.

The key to the flavor of this dish lies in its seasoned vinegar, which is commonly made by combining rice vinegar with soy sauce and sugar. In Japan, seasoned vinegar is known as nihaizu (a 1:1 ratio of vinegar to soy sauce) or sanbaizu (a 1:1:1 ratio of vinegar, soy sauce, and mirin), both of which have traditionally been used for sunomono.

However, these basic ratios are rarely followed today, as they no longer suit modern tastes. Nowadays, it is common to use sugar instead of mirin and to adjust the ratios based on individual preferences.

The recipe includes what I believe to be the best blend of vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar, but you can also adjust the ratios according to your preference. If you want to enhance the saltiness, increase the soy sauce; if you prefer a sweeter taste, add more sugar.

The ratios of seasoned vinegar are important, but the most crucial tip for making this dish delicious actually lies elsewhere: what matters even more is preventing it from becoming watery. If excess moisture remains, the flavors will lack depth and become dull.

Cucumbers have a high water content, so even if you sprinkle them with salt and squeeze out the excess moisture, some water will still remain. On the other hand, using overly strong seasoned vinegar can overpower the natural flavors of the ingredients.

To solve this issue, a technique called 'suarai' (酢洗い) is used in Japan. Suarai involves rinsing vegetables or fish in vinegar or seasoned vinegar. This technique helps remove excess moisture while infusing the ingredients with a subtle flavor. You can finish the dish by adding seasoned vinegar again for flavor after performing suarai.

It is a simple trick, but incorporating it into the process can give the dish a more refined flavor. Give it a try and elevate your dish to the next level.

Cucumber sunomono can be made with just cucumbers and vinegar, but a variety of additional ingredients are often used to enhance its flavor and appearance. These include:

• Wakame seaweed
• Shirasu (boiled whitebait)
• Crab
• Kanikama (imitation crab sticks)
• Boiled octopus
• Ginger
• Myoga (Japanese ginger)
• Toasted sesame seeds

Among these, the combination of cucumber, wakame, and ginger is the most common in Japan. Be sure to give it a try with my recipe.

Ingredients

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Instructions

🕒 Total: 10 mins mins

Step 1
Slice cucumber into thin rounds. Sprinkle them with salt, massage gently, and let them sit for about 5 minutes. After that, squeeze them by hand to remove any excess moisture.

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Step 2
Cut wakame into bite-sized pieces. If using dried wakame, rehydrate it in water beforehand, then pat it dry with paper towels before cutting.

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Step 3
Peel ginger and slice it into thin strips.

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Step 4
In a small bowl, mix rice vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce well.

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Step 5
In another bowl, combine the cucumber, wakame, and ginger. Pour about one-third of the seasoned vinegar from the small bowl over the ingredients and toss to coat. Then, as you did with the cucumber earlier, squeeze by hand to remove any excess moisture. (This is a traditional Japanese technique called suarai, which helps enhance the flavors of the dish.)

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Step 6
Add the remaining seasoned vinegar to the bowl and toss everything together.

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To store

You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. However, since cucumbers tend to release water over time after being mixed with seasoned vinegar, it is best to combine them just before eating, if possible.