BY SHALEEN DESTEFANO
Japanese Cucumber salad or Sunomono is a quick and delicious salad, perfect for lunch on a hot day, or pairs nicely with grilled salmon or chicken for a light dinner. It’s crunchy, fresh, bright and definitely a summer staple in our house. The best part is you can add anything you’d like. We have a peanut allergy in our home so we use sesame seeds. But this leaves a ton of room for creativity. Enjoy!
Dressing Ingredients
• 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp chile oil
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
Salad Ingredients
• 12 ounces small cucumbers
• toasted sesame seeds to taste (can substitute peanuts, or cashews)
• fresh cilantro leaves
• thinly sliced red peppers to add color – you can also use red
pepper flakes for some heat
Instructions
Whisk the dressing ingredients together and be sure to taste it to adjust anything you like.
Thinly slice the cucumbers on the diagonal. If you would like to remove part of the peel first, you can run a zesting tool down the sides, or simply run the tines of a fork down the sides to create a decorative edge.
Put the cucumbers in a bowl and toss with enough dressing to coat thoroughly, you may not need all of it. Toss with the sesame seeds, sprinkle with chile flakes, and top with cilantro leaves and thinly sliced red peppers. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve. I like to serve this within a few hours of making, but it will keep overnight.