Sunomono, Japanese Cucumber Salad

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chilerelleno

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Sunomono, Japanese Cucumber Salad
4 c Cucumber, halved, seeded and sliced thin
(Use Kyuri (Japanese) or Persian if you can find them, and you won't need to deseed them.
I used English as they were all I could find today)

Some people salt the cukes to draw out moisture and then rinse and squeeze.
I don't think it's needed with either the Japanese or Persian cucakes.

Sauce
1/2c Rice vinegar
2T Soy sauce
1.5T Mirin
1T Sugar
1t Sesame oil
Toasted sesame seeds
Marinate and chill for a hour or two, drain and serve.
Crushed red pepper instead of sesame if you like a little spiciness.

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Finger sized Persian cukes
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Red Pepper
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I grew up eating Japanese food and this is one of my favorites. Thanks for the reminder to make this. Looks awesome!!!
 
...
What is Mirin? something I am going to have to look for.
Mirin is a sweet rice wine.
I cheat and use regular rice cooking wine with added sugar.
3 tablespoons of Mirin can be substituted with 3 tablespoons of rice wine and 1-2 teaspoons of sugar.

edit: adjusted the added sugar quantity
 
The salad is a must make! Had it a couple times but never made it. We eat a lot of Cucumbers with Italian Dressing. This would be a nice change...JJ
 
Thanks for the recipe Chile. This looks like a nice change of pace from all the cucumber tomato salads I eat in the summer.

Seems simple enough with easily sourced ingredients, sounds like a plan.
 
A local Fish Monger, send a pint of a similar salad made with Crunchy Sea Beans. Really good. The following week, I ordered a Quart to go with our meal. He never told me he charges $20 a Quart! Too rich for my blood...JJ
 
A local Fish Monger, send a pint of a similar salad made with Crunchy Sea Beans. Really good. The following week, I ordered a Quart to go with our meal. He never told me he charges $20 a Quart! Too rich for my blood...JJ
LMAO... Like a dealer giving out free samples.
Here, try this.
And once you're hooked, well...
Get the recipe!
 
I wonder what I could sub in for the sugar...or is it needed?

The Mirin is Sugar sweetened as well. The Sugar is there to balance Acidity. You can substitute Sake for the Mirin, then sweeten with whatever you normally use...JJ
 
Looks great Chile, and well deserving a like.

Sunomono is one of my favorite salads and simple to make. I can get Japanese cucumbers if I want to drive a little, but I typically use Persian cucumbers, sliced extremely thin. A task where a mandoline comes in handy. I sprinkle the cucumber slices with some salt to draw any excess moisture out. I pat the slices dry with a paper towel then add them to the mix of rice vinegar, mirin, and aged soy sauce. I don't add sugar as that's a personal taste preference. To finish after resting an hour or so then draining, I grate some fresh ginger on the salad, sprinkle with sesame seeds, drizzle with sesame oil, and, if I'm so inclined, I'll sprinkle on some homemade furikake.

Any leftover sunomono is further drained, if necessary, and saved for near-term use as a condiment. A couple weeks ago I made a sandwich with some leftover katsu and sunomono topped off with some Kewpie mayo. Turned out very well and I'll be doing that again.
 
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