Sunomono Cucumber Salad (Japanese Sweet Vinegar Cucumber Slices)

Quick answer

Total time: 10 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Sunomono cucumber salad slices cucumber paper-thin, salts the slices for five minutes to draw out excess moisture, then squeezes them firmly dry before tossing with rehydrated wakame in a dressing of rice vinegar, sugar, and a touch of soy sauce.

Squeezing the cucumber after salting is what keeps the vinegar dressing sharp and concentrated through the whole dish rather than gradually diluting into a watery pool. The crisp, snappy texture of the cucumber and the slippery, silky texture of the wakame sit beside each other in every bite, and toasted sesame seeds scattered over the top add a nutty fragrance that rounds out the clean, acidic finish.

Ingredients (2 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
cucumber	220	g
rice vinegar	2	tbsp
sugar	1	tbsp
salt	0.5	tsp
soy sauce	0.5	tsp
sesame seeds	1	tsp
wakame	8	g

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Season

Slice 220 g cucumber into very thin rounds or half-moons.

Keep the thickness even, because thicker pieces season slowly and leave the salad less delicate.
2

Season

Sprinkle the cucumber evenly with 0.5 teaspoon salt and toss gently.

Let it stand for 5 minutes, until moisture beads on the surface and the slices bend slightly without breaking.
3

Heat

Soak 8 g wakame until rehydrated, then blanch it briefly in boiling water.

When the color turns vivid green, remove it at once, cool in cold water, and cut into bite-size pieces.
4

Season

In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 0.5 teaspoon soy sauce.

Stir until no sugar grains remain, so the dressing tastes clean and evenly seasoned.
5

Season

Press the salted cucumber firmly by hand to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Drain the wakame well, add both to the dressing, and loosen them gently with chopsticks while mixing.
6

Finish

Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sesame seeds and toss once more.

Chill for 5 minutes, then serve cold when the flavor tastes sharp and no watery pool has formed in the bowl.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Sunomono Cucumber Salad features thin, salt-pressed slices in a sweet Japanese rice vinegar.
Finish cue: Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sesame seeds and toss once more.