Hiyashi Wakame (Japanese Chilled Wakame Salad)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 17 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Hiyashi wakame is a chilled Japanese seaweed salad in which dried wakame is rehydrated in cold water, blanched for exactly twenty seconds, then rinsed in cold water and squeezed firmly dry before being tossed with salt-wilted cucumber slices in a soy-vinegar dressing.
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The twenty-second blanch is the most technically precise step in the recipe: less time leaves the wakame insufficiently tender, while more than twenty seconds tips it toward rubbery toughness or mushiness depending on how long it continues on the heat. Wakame blanched for exactly this duration holds a smooth, springy texture that takes the dressing evenly across its surface. The dressing combines soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil into a balance of salty umami and sharp acidity that amplifies the seaweed's natural oceanic fragrance rather than competing with it. Salting the cucumber for five minutes and pressing out the liquid before adding it is a non-optional step; skipping it causes the cucumber's released water to dilute the dressing and wash out its flavor. A generous finish of toasted sesame seeds adds a warm, nutty aroma that sits as a counterpoint over the cold, clean textures of the wakame and cucumber.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Heat
Soak 20 g dried wakame in cold water for 8 minutes until fully opened and pliable.
Separate any clumps with your fingers, then rinse lightly if the seaweed feels gritty before it goes into boiling water.
- 2Heat
Bring water to a full boil, add the wakame, and blanch for exactly 20 seconds.
Move it straight into cold water to stop the cooking, then squeeze firmly so the dressing will not become diluted.
- 3Season
Slice 100 g cucumber thinly and coat it evenly with a small pinch of salt.
After 5 minutes, when the slices bend easily and release moisture, squeeze them dry without crushing them completely.
- 4Season
In a bowl, mix 1.5 tbsp soy sauce, 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp sesame oil.
Stir until no sugar grains remain, so the dressing tastes sharp, salty, and even.
- 5Prep
Add the squeezed wakame and cucumber to the dressing, then toss gently with chopsticks or tongs.
Lift the dressing from the bottom several times so every surface is lightly coated, not soaked unevenly.
- 6Step
Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sesame seeds and keep chilled until serving.
Lift the dressing from the bottom once to coat evenly before serving.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Chilled Wakame Seaweed Salad (Hiyashi Wakame) maintains a glossy, springy texture.
- Finish cue
- Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sesame seeds and keep chilled until serving.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
17min, 7 ingredients
Category median
25min, 8 ingredients
Based on 189 recipes
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