Published: · Modified: by Igor · This post may contain affiliate links · 30 Comments
Japanese Cucumber Salad or Sunomono Salad is a crunchy, sweet, and tangy Asian salad requiring only a few simple ingredients. It is great as an appetizer or a side dish!
This time I want to share a very simple, but a very tasty salad with you. I am not even sure if it's a salad or a side dish, or an appetizer. What I am sure about is that it's insanely delicious! I am talking about a classic Japanese Cucumber Salad, also known as Sunomono. Actually, Sunomono just means "vinegared things" in Japanese, so any other fresh vegetables can be used. However, the cucumber version is undoubtedly the most popular one.
Basically, it's a thinly sliced cucumber marinated in a dressing made of rice vinegar, soy sauce, salt, sugar and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It's also important to squeeze all the water from cucumbers before mixing them with the dressing! I made the traditional and simple version, but you can also add some seaweed (if you like it) or some seafood, such as shrimp, crab, or else. Sunomono is usually made with Japanese cucumbers (Persian cucumbers are also considered a great choice), but I wasn't able to find any of these, so I used a good old English cucumber and the result was outstanding too.
This salad is usually served before the main meal in Japan.It is perfect for increasing your appetite. If you have ever been in Japanese restaurants you should have seen it on the menu. However, I also enjoy it as a side dish with sushi, Japanese cabbage pancakes or any other, even not Japanese, dish!
I love everything about this Japanese Cucumber Salad. It is refreshing, light, and sweet & tangy at the same time! The vinegar dressing does the job. Oh and don't forget the pleasant crunchiness of the cucumbers. Also, it requires almost no time to make. You can throw it together in under 5 minutes!
Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sunomono)
CookingTheGlobe
This beautiful cucumber salad coming from Japan is sweet, tangy, and crunchy. Can be served as an appetizer or a side dish!
Thinly slice the cucumber. You can do it either by hand or using a food processor. Rub the slices with salt and drain for 5 minutes in a colander. Rinse under cold running water and squeeze them tightly to remove water. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix the sugar, soy sauce, and rice vinegar until the sugar dissolves.
Add the dressing to the cucumber slices, sprinkle with sesame seeds and mix well. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 48kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Oh my goodness, this is a wonderful dish! This recipe popped up in my Pinterest feed this morning. My husband literally just gave me a mandoline two days ago, and it made prepping the cucumbers so fast and easy -- so I was especially excited to try this. So light and refreshing. Thank you for this, Igor!
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Igor
You are welcome, Lorry. I am glad you enjoyed this salad!
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Katherine L Benson
I served this with a teriyaki flank steak, stir fry sugar snap peas and sticky white rice....perfect! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
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Igor
Sounds like a perfect dinner!
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Steven Burrell
I've never cooked before but I saw this recipe and though I'd try it along with your cucumber salad recipe as well and I'm happy to report they both came out perfect. Thanks so much for inspiration Igor! 🙂
The lighting was terrible but here is a picture of both!
Japanese cucumbers are mild and crunchy, with an unsweet melon-like flavor. The skins can also be eaten, although you could peel them in alternating green stripes for aesthetics.
What is Sunomono? Breaking down the word Sunomono, Su means vinegar and Mono means thing, so Sunomono would mean vinegar thing. This just typically means a dish is vinegar based.
The flesh varies in color from white to pale green and contains no developed seeds. Japanese cucumbers have a mild and refreshing, sweet, vegetal flavor with subtle melon-like, green nuances. The cucumbers also contain a less bitter taste than other cultivars, providing a more pleasant eating experience.
The solution: The standard recommendation for ridding watery vegetable such as cucumbers of unwanted moisture is to salt them. The salt draws out the liquid from the vegetable because of the natural tendency of salt water solutions to equalize when mixed together.
Japanese cucumbers are an excellent source of vitamins K, A, and C, folic acid, potassium, and silica, which is a trace mineral that helps strengthen connective tissue. Japanese cucumbers in pickled form are an essential component in Japanese cuisine.
The Japanese cucumber has several advantages over common cucumbers. It is slender, thin-skinned, void of developed seeds, never bitter and entirely edible. The average harvested length is about four inches, while the cucumber is still young. Its skin is forest green and smooth with longitudinal grooves.
A quick treat for a healthy thyroid, this cucumber and seaweed (kelp) salad is loaded with iodine and selenium, the essentials for a balanced hormone production in thyroid.
Overview. Chūka (中華, short for 中華料理 chūka ryōri, literally "Chinese food") is the adjective for Japanese style "Chinese" dishes, or the restaurants in Japan which serve them.
Usually, cucurbitacin stays in the stem and leaves, but it can work its way into the fruit, causing bitter cucumbers. Cucumbers tend to grow bitter when the plant is under stress from inconsistent water, fluctuating temperatures or poor soil. The higher the level of the compound, the more bitter the fruit.
Striped Armenian is one of the sweetest cucumbers. It has small seeds and thin skin. Though it looks like a cucumber, it is actually a melon—a species of Cucumis.
They are a good source of vitamins C and A, potassium, manganese, folate, dietary fiber and magnesium. They are cool, crisp, nutritious and, as dieters know, low in calories. Summer Dance is a hybrid Japanese cucumber bred by Takii and Co., Ltd. It produces glossy, deep-green fruit about 8 in.
One of the most common reasons why a cucumber is bitter is due to heat stress. If a plant is stressed due to heat, it may start producing bitter cucumbers. Another possibility for what causes bitter cucumber is when a cucumber goes through alternating periods of drought and overwatering.
When it comes to making the best cucumber salads, I find that unless you take the time to properly salt and drain the cukes, the end product is watery, limp, and less than tasty. This easy extra step makes extra crunchy slices, takes almost no effort at all, but gives a big payout in the crunch department.
Can Dogs Have Cucumbers? Cucumbers are perfectly safe for dogs to eat, and offer a low-calorie, crunchy snack that many dogs love. Cucumbers only contain about 8 calories per one-half cup of slices, compared to the 40 calories in a single medium dog biscuit. Cucumbers are also very low in sodium and fat-free.
Nutrients: Cucumbers provide few calories but a lot of vitamins and minerals. Cucumbers also have high water content. Cucumbers should be eaten unpeeled to enhance their nutritious value. The quantity of fibre, as well as key vitamins and minerals, is reduced when they are peeled.
To maximize their nutrient content, cucumbers should be eaten unpeeled. Peeling them reduces the amount of fiber, as well as certain vitamins and minerals.
Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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