Cucumber Sunomono, Japanese Cucumber Salad

One of my most favorite and simplest dishes to make is Cucumber Sunomono. Sunomono is any form of sliced and pickled vegetable (sometimes with seafood) salad. It's cucumber form is my favorite because it's a light, crispy, sweet and slightly salty refreshing snack that can be eaten by itself or as a compliment to almost any meat dish, regardless of how it's seasoned.

Due to the large Asian influence in Hawaii, as described in previous posts, almost all locals grew up eating some form of this yummy salad at one occasion or another. Personally, I love just about any and all pickled veggies, but this one takes the cake! Unfortunately, it's such a simple dish that I barely have a story to accompany it. But what I do have is the recipe! =)

Cucumber Sunomono

Ingredients:

• 1 large cucumber, partially peeled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 dash of soy sauce

Preparation:

1. Cut cucumber in half then thinly slice both halves.
2. In a small bowl, mix salt, rice wine vinegar, sugar and soy sauce.
3. Add cucumber and toss lightly then refrigerate for 15-30mins.
4. Serve

Simple right? There are other variations where people have added sesame seeds, onions, sake, carrots, regular vinegar and so forth. Some even remove the cucumber seeds. Sunomono can be any mix of pickled vegetables that you desire, however, some vegetables just don't mix well with others. Daikon (white radish) and carrots are another great mixture that I recommend. Start simple then fine tune it to your taste. 

Try it with some teriyaki skewers or even with a regular steak. You'd be surprised at how versatile this dish is, and it's so simple to make that you kinda don't have an excuse! Let me know what you think and send me pictures of your finish product! 

Peace & Poi,

Dis Hungry Hawaiian