Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono)

Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) is a crunchy salad that makes a refreshing side dish to Asian recipes, sandwiches, burgers, etc.  These healthy sweet and sour pickled cucumbers are packed with flavor.

 

I’ve always loved to eat out, and now during these crazy times I’m really missing it.  I miss not only the chance to get out of the house and to be served a meal for a change, but I miss being exposed to new foods and flavors.  We got some Japanese curry take in this week and they sent along a wonderful crisp cucumber salad to go with it.  What a perfect way to use summer cukes and make any meal a little healthier at the same time.  The zingy Asian combo of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame and chile is so yummy.

Sunomono (soon-oh-MONO)

refers to a style of raw vinegar marinated dishes in Japanese cuisine that are served as sides or appetizers. They can range from veggies to seafood.  The sweet ~ sour ~ crunchy effect is super refreshing and enhances the appetite.

 

shopping list for Japanese cucumber salad

• Slender thin skinned cucumbers, aka pickling, Persian, Kirby, Lebanese, English. These types of cucumbers have thin skins that aren’t bitter, and fewer seeds than the common garden cuke ~ perfect for this salad.
• roasted peanuts ~ you can also use toasted sesame seeds
• soy sauce ~ I love Tamari
• rice wine vinegar ~ rice vinegar is milder than other vinegars, and I recommend it, but you can also use cider vinegar.
• garlic
• chili oil
• sesame oil
• sugar
• red pepper flakes
• cilantro ~ cilantro haters leave it out.

Prepping cucumbers is easy and fun, there are so many ways to do it.

1. Don’t peel them, the skin is thin and delicious, and gives the cucumbers structure.  If you like you can partially peel them by running a zesting tool down the sides.  My mom used to scrape the sides with the tines of a fork.  It makes a decorative edging.
2. Slice them on a diagonal, which is not only pretty, but exposes more flesh to the dressing.
3. Slice them up to an hour before serving. I don’t advise doing this very far in advance because cukes release water and become less crisp after being cut.

How to make Japanese dressing

The dressing is a star of this recipe, it’s simple, but so flavorful. It’s a great idea to make up a jar of it for the fridge to have cucumber salad on demand for a week or more. Use it on regular green salad as well.

• Mix equal parts soy sauce with rice wine vinegar for the base, it’s essentially a simple pickling brine.
• Add other ingredients to taste like chile oil, red pepper flakes, toasted sesame oil, and a pinch of sugar.

There’s room for variation here, but start with the basic ingredients to experience the classic flavor.

Questions?

• Can you make this ahead of time?  I don’t recommend making this more than a few hours ahead, the cukes will be at their crunchiest then.  You will still enjoy the leftovers the next day, but the salad is best the same day.

 

• Are you allergic to peanuts?  Use sesame seeds instead, black or white will work.

 

• Can you use regular cucumbers for this salad?  Smaller cucumbers are best but larger ones can be used.  I suggest using a small spoon to scoop out the center seeds before slicing. And with regular cukes you’ll want to peel or partially peel the tough skins.

 

• What can you add?  How about some shredded seaweed (wakame), or pickled ginger. Add tiny shrimp, crabmeat, or even canned tuna to make it a delicious lunch.

 

• What goes well with this salad? In Japanese cuisine salads like this are served with just about everything.  It’s wonderful with any kind of curry, or fried rice, or stir fry dish. I use it just like I would coleslaw or a side salad with sandwiches, burgers, grilled chicken and steak, etc.

More Japanese inspired recipes to explore

• Japanese Pork Dumplings
• Teriyaki Chicken with Broccoli Rice
• Edamame Salad
• Easy Miso Soup
• Grilled Shishito Peppers