I’m always looking for new and interesting salads to go along with our everyday meals. Some of my favorites include a healthy arugula salad, classic caprese salad, creamy waldorf salad, tangy mandarin orange salad and this simple, yet totally satisfying Sunomono salad. Japanese cucumber salad is the perfect accompaniment to any Asian inspired meal. While this dish is often served alongside sushi, yakitori or a teriyaki chicken bowl, it’s also great with other Asian dishes including beef bulgogi, Asian meatballs and beef lo mein.
Cucumber Salad Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are simple, and consist of cucumbers, sugar, salt, sesame seeds, rice vinegar and soy sauce.
How Do You Make Japanese Cucumber Salad?
Start by cutting your cucumbers into very thin slices. Toss the cucumber slices in salt. This is an important step as it will draw the excess moisture out of the cucumbers so they stay crunchy in the salad. Drain the cucumber slices in a colander, then use your hands to squeeze any extra liquid out of them. Make a dressing by mixing together rice vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Pour the dressing over the cucumbers and toss to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, then serve.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
For a more authentic flavor, use Japanese cucumbers if you can find them. If you can’t get Japanese cucumbers, I recommend using Persian cucumbers which are available in many stores and have a similar flavor and consistency. English cucumbers will also work. You can make this with traditional waxy cucumbers, but you’ll want to peel them and remove the seeds. You can use a mandoline slicer to cut your cucumbers into very thin slices for the best taste and texture. While Sunomono goes well with any number of Japanese dishes, I also find it to be great when served alongside grilled chicken or seafood.
Japanese Cucumber Salad Flavor Variations
This salad is great as-is, but you can add other ingredients to make the flavors your own. The additional ingredients are not traditional, but I find them to be delicious nonetheless.
Vegetables: You can add other vegetables to this salad such as wakame seaweed, or thinly sliced red onion. Herbs: I love to add a sprinkling of sliced green onions on top of the cucumbers. Seafood: You can sometimes find this salad with seafood in it, such as shrimp, crab or even octopus!
I always keep cucumbers in the fridge, so when I need a salad, this is a go-to recipe for me. Looking for more fresh salad inspiration? Don’t miss my list of 45 summer salad recipes!
