Go Back
–+ servings

Japanese Cucumber Salad (Vinegared)

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time1 minute
Soaking Time20 minutes
Total Time26 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 5

Ingredients  

  • 5 g ginger root julienned
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar unseasoned
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp Japanese light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu) or regular Japanese soy sauce
  • 1 pinch dashi granules optional, use plant-based kombu dashi granules to make it vegetarian/vegan
  • 2 Japanese cucumbers
  • ½ tsp salt for itazuri, coarse salt preferred
  • 500 ml water for brine, cold
  • 1 tbsp salt for brine

Instructions 

  • Bring a pot of water (big enough to fit the whole cucumbers) to a rolling boil. White you wait, place 5 g ginger root (julienned) in a bowl and add 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp Japanese light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu), and 1 pinch dashi granules. Mix until the dashi granules have dissolved and leave to soak.
    Julienned ginger root soaking in light soy sauce, sugar and rice vinegar in a small glass bowl
  • Wash 2 Japanese cucumbers and place them on a cutting board. Sprinkle with ½ tsp salt and roll them firmly back and forth on the board for 15-20 seconds, then rinse.
    rolling Japanese cucumbers over salt on a wooden cutting board
  • Prepare a bowl of ice cold water and set it by the stove. Once the water is boiling, place the cucumbers in the pot and blanch for 15 seconds.
    blanching two Japanese cucumbers in a pot of boiling water on the stove
  • After 15 seconds, transfer straight to the ice water bath.
    two Japanese cucumbers cooling in a bowl of ice water
  • Cool for a few minutes, then place the cucumbers on a cutting board and cut off the ends. Thinly slice about 2.0-2.5mm thick.
    thinly sliced Japanese cucumber on a wooden cutting board
  • Measure 500 ml water into a bowl and add 1 tbsp salt. Whisk until dissolved, then add the sliced cucumber and soak for 10 minutes.
    soaking thinly sliced Japanese cucumber in a bowl of lightly salted water
  • Lift the cucumbers out of the brine in handfuls and squeeze gently but firmly until no more drops of water fall.
    squeezing liquid out of thinly sliced Japanese cucumbers
  • Place in a dry bowl and add the ginger infused dressing from step one. Mix until every slice is evenly coated.
    adding marinade and ginger to a bowl of thinly sliced Japanese cucumbers
  • For the best flavor, cover and chill for 20-30 minutes. Mix before serving and enjoy!
    Japanese cucumber sunomono with ginger in a white mottled bowl with wooden chopsticks holding up a few slices

Notes

Use Persian for the closest alternative. Peel a few stripes on Kirby if the skin feels tough, remove the seed core on English cucumbers to prevent watery results.
Avoid overworking cucumbers. Too much pressure or time breaks the cells and causes limp texture.
Squeeze only until no droplets fall. Under-squeezing dilutes the dressing, but over-squeezing crushes the flesh.
Refrigerate 2-3 days in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to minimize oxidation, do not freeze.
Plan meal: Make up to 1 day ahead for ideal texture and flavor; for 2-3 days, portion into single-serve containers to avoid repeated exposure to air and moisture.
Serving ideas: Japanese Salt-Grilled Salmon (Shiozake), Miso Mackerel, Chicken Nanban, Ginger Pork (Shogayaki)