Name: Cucumber and Wakame Sunomono (Vinegared Salad)
Cuisine: 和食
Ingredients: 2 cucumbers; 10g dried wakame seaweed; 500ml water (for rehydrating wakame); 1 pinch salt; 3 pinches sugar; 4 tbsp shiro-dashi (low-sodium); 4 tbsp vinegar; 1/2 tsp sugar; Toasted sesame seeds, to taste

About "Cucumber and Wakame Sunomono (Vinegared Salad)"

A refreshing summer sunomono (vinegared salad) featuring cucumber and wakame seaweed. This recipe shares professional techniques to preserve texture and umami, from choosing domestic wakame to a double-salting method with salt and sugar, and a golden ratio of shiro-dashi and vinegar. It makes a perfect palate-cleansing side dish that keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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Tips for Making "Cucumber and Wakame Sunomono (Vinegared Salad)"

Prep
- Choosing domestic dried wakame ensures a firm, crunchy texture when rehydrated, whereas imported options tend to become thin and soft.
Prep
- Slicing cucumbers diagonally into larger pieces helps them retain their crunch and presence after salting, balancing well with the wakame.
Prep
- Using both salt and sugar for salting draws out moisture gently through osmotic pressure, preventing the cucumbers from becoming too salty.
Seasoning
- The golden ratio is 4 tbsp low-sodium shiro-dashi, 4 tbsp vinegar, and 1/2 tsp sugar. It may taste strong at first, but balances out by the next day.
Seasoning
- Toss the cucumbers in the dressing first; adding wakame too early will cause it to absorb the liquid, leaving the cucumbers unseasoned.
Storage
- Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. If the flavor dilutes the next day, revive it by adding shiro-dashi and vinegar in a 1:1 ratio with a pinch of sugar.

Ingredients for "Cucumber and Wakame Sunomono (Vinegared Salad)"

9 items

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2cucumbers
10gdried wakame seaweed
500mlwater (for rehydrating wakame)
1pinch salt
3pinches sugar
4tbsp shiro-dashi (low-sodium)
4tbsp vinegar
1/2tsp sugar
Toastedsesame seeds, to taste

How to Make "Cucumber and Wakame Sunomono (Vinegared Salad)"

1
Rehydrate the wakame
Place 10g of dried wakame in a large bowl and rehydrate it in 500ml of water for a full 5 minutes. Be careful, as too little water will prevent it from rehydrating completely. Once rehydrated, drain in a fine-mesh strainer and squeeze out the excess moisture thoroughly.
Choosing domestic (Japanese) wakame ensures a firm, crunchy texture.Check after 5 minutes and avoid over-soaking.
2
Slice the cucumbers
Wash 2 cucumbers and slice them diagonally using a mandoline slicer to create larger, wider slices. Remove the tough stem ends, but use the rest of the cucumber. (You can snack on the thin end pieces!)
Slicing diagonally into larger pieces helps retain texture even after salting.Slicing straight across makes the pieces too small and thin.
3
Mix cucumber with salt and sugar
Place the sliced cucumbers in a bowl, add 1 pinch of salt and 3 pinches of sugar, and toss gently. After mixing evenly in the bowl, transfer them to a plastic bag and let sit for 5 minutes.
Mix in a bowl first, as mixing directly in a plastic bag can be uneven.Adding sugar prevents the cucumbers from becoming too salty while gently drawing out moisture.
4
Squeeze out cucumber moisture
After 5 minutes, squeeze the cucumbers firmly inside the plastic bag to drain the water, then transfer them to a bowl. Squeezing thoroughly is crucial, as any remaining moisture will dilute the flavor later.
Squeeze in small batches—about a handful at a time.
5
Season the cucumbers with the dressing
Do not add the wakame yet; use only the cucumbers. Add 4 tbsp shiro-dashi, 4 tbsp vinegar, and 1/2 tsp sugar to the bowl, and toss to coat the cucumbers. It might taste a bit strong at first, but it will be perfectly balanced by the next day.
If you add wakame first, it will absorb the dressing, preventing the cucumbers from soaking up the flavor.Using enough vinegar prevents the flavor from fading the next day.
6
Add wakame and mix
Once the cucumbers have absorbed the dressing, add the well-drained wakame and toss gently. Using a shiro-dashi base keeps the sodium low while delivering an elegant, umami-rich flavor.
Using shiro-dashi creates an elegant taste, unlike tsuyu which can overpower the dish.
7
Plate and garnish
Transfer to a clear storage container and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top. Garnish right before serving rather than mixing them in beforehand to keep the dish looking clean and appetizing.
Topping with sesame seeds right before serving maximizes their aroma.
8
Storage tips
This dish keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. By the next day, the cucumbers may release more water, slightly diluting the flavor. If this happens, add a little shiro-dashi and vinegar in a 1:1 ratio, along with a tiny pinch of sugar, and mix to revive the flavor.
Unless you drink all the dressing, the released moisture will eventually dilute the flavor.

Food Science

Why This Dish Tastes So Good

Salting cucumbers draws out excess moisture, creating a crisp texture and preventing the dressing from becoming diluted. Additionally, combining the sourness of vinegar, the sweetness of sugar, and the saltiness and umami of shiro-dashi balances the five basic tastes, resulting in a mild, deep, and well-rounded flavor.

Moisture ControlBalance of Five TastesUmami Compounds

Detailed Commentary on "Cucumber and Wakame Sunomono (Vinegared Salad)"

* Content organized by topics from the video.

A Healthy and Easy Sunomono Salad

Good morning, I'm Sakura. Today, we're making a quick and easy classic side dish using seasonal cucumbers and wakame seaweed: Sunomono (vinegared salad). While it's incredibly simple to prepare, the vinegar offers wonderful health benefits, making it especially recommended for this hot season. It's not only refreshing and appetizing, but also a versatile side dish that helps with daily health management and fatigue recovery. Today, I'll show you a professional seasoning method that strikes the golden balance of sourness and umami. Let's make it together and add it to your daily table. Let's get cooking!

Rehydrating Wakame & Why Domestic Matters

First, let's rehydrate the dried wakame. We'll use 10g of dried wakame today. Pour 500ml of water into a large bowl and let it soak for about 5 minutes. If you don't use enough water, the wakame won't rehydrate fully. When choosing wakame, I highly recommend domestic (Japanese) wakame. While imported options are cheaper, they can become thin and mushy when rehydrated. Domestic wakame retains a wonderful, crunchy texture. Timing is also key: soaking it too long makes it soggy, so check it at the 5-minute mark, drain it in a strainer, and squeeze out the excess water thoroughly.

Slicing Cucumbers to Keep Their Crunch

Next, let's prep the cucumbers. We'll use 2 cucumbers (about 200g). After washing them, we'll slice them using a handy mandoline slicer. You can easily pop off the tough stem ends with the slicer blade and use the rest. The trick here is to slice them diagonally rather than straight across. If you slice them into straight rounds, they become too small and thin after salting, losing their presence next to the wakame. Slicing diagonally creates larger pieces that retain their crunch and presence. The thin end pieces can be tricky to slice safely, so I usually just snack on them!

The Double-Salting Method: Salt & Sugar

Now, let's salt-massage the sliced cucumbers. For this, we'll use 1 pinch of salt (measured with three fingers) and—surprisingly—3 pinches of sugar. Instead of using only salt, combining it with sugar utilizes osmotic pressure to gently draw out moisture without making the cucumbers overly salty. Toss the salt and sugar with the cucumbers in a bowl first, then transfer them to a plastic bag and let them sit for 5 minutes. Mixing them in the bowl first ensures even distribution, which is harder to achieve if you put them straight into the bag.

Squeezing & Seasoning: The Golden Ratio

After 5 minutes, squeeze the moisture out of the cucumbers. Some might worry about losing nutrients, but since we don't drink all the dressing, failing to squeeze them beforehand will cause them to release water later and dilute the flavor. Squeeze them firmly inside the plastic bag in small batches—about a handful at a time—and transfer them to a bowl. For seasoning, add 4 tbsp of low-sodium shiro-dashi, 4 tbsp of vinegar, and 1/2 tsp of sugar. A strong vinegar presence prevents the flavor from fading the next day. Toss the cucumbers in this dressing first without the wakame. If you add the wakame first, it will soak up all the dressing, leaving the cucumbers bland. It might taste a bit strong at first, but it will be perfect later.

Adding Wakame & Finishing with Sesame

Once the cucumbers have absorbed the dressing, add the well-drained wakame and toss everything together. By using shiro-dashi as our base, we keep the sodium low while infusing the dish with a rich, elegant umami flavor. Using standard noodle soup base (mentsuyu) would make it taste too much like mentsuyu, but shiro-dashi keeps it refined. Once mixed, transfer it to a clear storage container. Finally, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top. Mixing the sesame seeds in from the start can make the dish look messy, so topping them right before serving keeps it beautiful and maximizes their nutty aroma.

Tasting, Storage Tips, & Side Dish Philosophy

Let's give it a taste! The combination of the crunchy cucumber and the firm wakame is absolutely delicious. For this sunomono, I aim for a flavor profile that is 'not overly intense.' To serve its purpose as a palate cleanser or side dish, it needs to be light, refreshing, and easy to eat. As for storage, the vinegar acts as a natural preservative, so it keeps well in the fridge for about 3 days. By the second day, the cucumbers might release a bit more water, making the flavor slightly mild. If that happens, just add a splash of shiro-dashi and vinegar in a 1:1 ratio, along with a tiny pinch of sugar, to sharpen the flavor right up. It's the perfect dish for hot weather, so please give it a try!

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