Sunomono Cucumber Salad (Japanese Sweet Vinegar Cucumber Slices)
Sunomono cucumber salad slices cucumber paper-thin, salts the slices for five minutes to draw out excess moisture, then squeezes them dry and dresses them in a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, and a touch of soy sauce along with rehydrated wakame. Salting and squeezing the cucumber first is what keeps the vinegar dressing sharp and concentrated rather than watered down. The crisp, snappy cucumber and the slippery, silky wakame create a textural contrast in every bite, and a scattering of sesame seeds adds a toasted nuttiness to the clean finish. The entire preparation requires no cooking and takes under fifteen minutes, making it a practical side dish for summer meals or alongside grilled meats.
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Instructions
- 1
Thinly slice cucumber, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for 5 minutes.
- 2
Rehydrate wakame in water and squeeze out excess moisture.
- 3
Mix vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce until sugar dissolves.
- 4
Squeeze liquid from cucumber and toss with wakame in the dressing.
- 5
Sprinkle sesame seeds, chill 5 minutes, and serve cold.
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