Sunomono (Japanese Cucumber Salad)
Paper-thin cucumber and wakame seaweed in a light, sweet-sour rice vinegar dressing, sprinkled with sesame seeds. A crisp, refreshing side dish ready in 15 minutes.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Salt the cucumber
Toss the cucumber slices with the salt in a bowl and leave for 10 minutes at room temperature. They will release water and turn soft but still crunchy.
- 2 small cucumbers cucumber
- ½ tsp salt
✅ Done when: cucumber slices look slightly limp but still crunchy, with water pooling in the bowl
Soak the wakame
Put the in a small bowl and cover with the water. Let it soak for 5-10 minutes until it expands, then drain and squeeze out the excess water with your hands.
- 1 tbsp dried
- 1 cup water
✅ Done when: wakame has expanded, softened, and turned bright green
Make the dressing
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Squeeze the cucumber
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Dress and serve
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Salt the cucumber
Toss the cucumber slices with the salt in a bowl and leave for 10 minutes at room temperature. They will release water and turn soft but still crunchy.
- 2 small cucumbers cucumber
- ½ tsp salt
✅ Done when: cucumber slices look slightly limp but still crunchy, with water pooling in the bowl
Soak the wakame
Put the in a small bowl and cover with the water. Let it soak for 5-10 minutes until it expands, then drain and squeeze out the excess water with your hands.
- 1 tbsp dried
- 1 cup water
✅ Done when: wakame has expanded, softened, and turned bright green
Make the dressing
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Squeeze the cucumber
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Dress and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Sunomono means 'vinegared things', a whole family of Japanese side dishes dressed with rice vinegar. Cucumber is the classic, but versions with octopus, crab, prawns or seaweed are just as common.
In a traditional Japanese meal, a small dish of sunomono refreshes the palate between richer dishes like grilled fish or fried tempura.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Light, cool and tangy, it's the perfect counterpoint to rich or fried food.
💡 Fun Fact
The basic sunomono dressing, called sanbaizu ('three-cup vinegar'), traditionally combines equal parts vinegar, soy sauce and mirin or sugar.
All over Japan
35.68°N, 139.65°E
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