Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono)

I'm going to share a very easy, refreshing and wildly popular salad with you.  This is one I prepare often and get many requests to serve around here.  I don't hesitate to say you'll get many positive comments when you serve it!  It's very light and goes well with most any meal!

INGREDIENTS Serves 4 - 6

2 Japanese or English Cucumbers (Called one or the other, depending upon where you live)
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Tablespoon white sugar (or if you use honey, slightly less than 1 Tablespoon)
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 Teaspoon sesame oil
2 Teaspoons sesame seeds (I like the black and white mix ones for appearance. "Tuxedo Sesame Seed for sushi)

* Japanese or English cucumbers differ from regular cucumbers, in that they are very long and thin.  Often, they are individually wrapped in a sort of shrink plastic.  Here's how they look in the produce section.

CUCUMBER PREPARATION

Preparation and presentation are a big part of preparing Japanese and most Asian dishes.  I try to take extra time to do it right.

First, I cut off both small ends of the cucumber, getting rid of the stem and flower button on the opposite end.  Next, using a vegetable paring tool, I remove the skin from the cucumbers in alternating strips, leaving a striped pattern, something like this.

Next, cut the cucumbers in half, long way...down the middle.  Much as shown in the first picture above.  Japanese or English cucumbers have very small seeds, as observed in the first picture here.  Hold a cucumber half in one hand and using a teaspoon in the other hand, gently scrape down through the middle of the cucumber, removing all the seeds.  Just make a channel down through the middle, so all seeds are removed.  Now, as with most Asian foods, we're going to do some very thin slicing.  I keep one very sharp knife, with a very thin blade for this, as I use it for thin slicing chicken and other foods when preparing Asian dishes for stir fry and such.  If you have a slicer, that's even better!  However you choose to do it, slice the cucumbers, as thin as you can.  When you finish, the cucumber slices should sort of resemble a crescent moon shape.  The thinner, the better!!!  Your cucumbers are now ready for the salad!

With your bowl of cucumbers, add the salt and pepper and stir so they are mixed well with the cucumbers.  Now, using a separate bowl, let's make the marinade.

MARINADE
In a bowl, add the sugar (or honey), soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.  Mix well until the sugar is completely dissolved.

FINAL PREPARATION FOR SERVING
Pour the marinade over the cucumbers in the bowl.  Sprinkle the sesame seed into the bowl, then mix the cucumbers, marinade and sesame seeds well.  If you like, sprinkle a few more sesame seeds on top of the salad, just for appearance.  Put the salad in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to allow the marinade to flavor the cucumbers.  Now, you are ready to serve!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at: stan.kain@gmail.com