Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sunomono) - Sweet & Tangy (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Igor · This post may contain affiliate links · 30 Comments

Japanese Cucumber Salad or Sunomono Salad is a crunchy, sweet, and tangy Asian salad requiring only a few simple ingredients. It is great as an appetizer or a side dish!

Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sunomono) - Sweet & Tangy (1)

This time I want to share a very simple, but a very tasty salad with you. I am not even sure if it's a salad or a side dish, or an appetizer. What I am sure about is that it's insanely delicious! I am talking about a classic Japanese Cucumber Salad, also known as Sunomono. Actually, Sunomono just means "vinegared things" in Japanese, so any other fresh vegetables can be used. However, the cucumber version is undoubtedly the most popular one.

Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sunomono) - Sweet & Tangy (2)

Basically, it's a thinly sliced cucumber marinated in a dressing made of rice vinegar, soy sauce, salt, sugar and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It's also important to squeeze all the water from cucumbers before mixing them with the dressing! I made the traditional and simple version, but you can also add some seaweed (if you like it) or some seafood, such as shrimp, crab, or else. Sunomono is usually made with Japanese cucumbers (Persian cucumbers are also considered a great choice), but I wasn't able to find any of these, so I used a good old English cucumber and the result was outstanding too.

This salad is usually served before the main meal in Japan.It is perfect for increasing your appetite. If you have ever been in Japanese restaurants you should have seen it on the menu. However, I also enjoy it as a side dish with sushi, Japanese cabbage pancakes or any other, even not Japanese, dish!

Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sunomono) - Sweet & Tangy (3)

I love everything about this Japanese Cucumber Salad. It is refreshing, light, and sweet & tangy at the same time! The vinegar dressing does the job. Oh and don't forget the pleasant crunchiness of the cucumbers. Also, it requires almost no time to make. You can throw it together in under 5 minutes! Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sunomono) - Sweet & Tangy (4)

Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sunomono) - Sweet & Tangy (5)

Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sunomono)

CookingTheGlobe

This beautiful cucumber salad coming from Japan is sweet, tangy, and crunchy. Can be served as an appetizer or a side dish!

4.94 from 29 votes

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Cuisine Japanese

Servings 2 people

Calories 48 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 large English cucumber or 2 Japanese cucumbers
  • ½ tablespoon salt
  • ½ tablespoon sugar , or more
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Thinly slice the cucumber. You can do it either by hand or using a food processor. Rub the slices with salt and drain for 5 minutes in a colander. Rinse under cold running water and squeeze them tightly to remove water. Set aside.

  • In a small bowl, mix the sugar, soy sauce, and rice vinegar until the sugar dissolves.

  • Add the dressing to the cucumber slices, sprinkle with sesame seeds and mix well. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 48kcal

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lorry

    Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sunomono) - Sweet & Tangy (6)
    Oh my goodness, this is a wonderful dish! This recipe popped up in my Pinterest feed this morning. My husband literally just gave me a mandoline two days ago, and it made prepping the cucumbers so fast and easy -- so I was especially excited to try this. So light and refreshing. Thank you for this, Igor!

    Reply

    • Igor

      You are welcome, Lorry. I am glad you enjoyed this salad!

      Reply

  2. Katherine L Benson

    Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sunomono) - Sweet & Tangy (7)
    I served this with a teriyaki flank steak, stir fry sugar snap peas and sticky white rice....perfect!
    Thank you for sharing the recipe!

    Reply

    • Igor

      Sounds like a perfect dinner!

      Reply

  3. Steven Burrell

    Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sunomono) - Sweet & Tangy (8)
    I've never cooked before but I saw this recipe and though I'd try it along with your cucumber salad recipe as well and I'm happy to report they both came out perfect. Thanks so much for inspiration Igor! 🙂

    The lighting was terrible but here is a picture of both!

    https://i.imgur.com/LW3renW.png

    Definitely going to try some more of your recipes soon!

    Reply

  4. Julia Milazzo

    I can't wait to make this! My question, will it keep a couple of days in the frig?

    Reply

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Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe (Sunomono) - Sweet & Tangy (2024)

FAQs

Do you eat skin of Japanese cucumber? ›

Japanese cucumbers are mild and crunchy, with an unsweet melon-like flavor. The skins can also be eaten, although you could peel them in alternating green stripes for aesthetics.

What does the Japanese culinary term sunomono mean? ›

What is Sunomono? Breaking down the word Sunomono, Su means vinegar and Mono means thing, so Sunomono would mean vinegar thing. This just typically means a dish is vinegar based.

How do you keep cucumber salad from getting soggy? ›

The solution: The standard recommendation for ridding watery vegetable such as cucumbers of unwanted moisture is to salt them. The salt draws out the liquid from the vegetable because of the natural tendency of salt water solutions to equalize when mixed together.

Is Japanese cucumber same as normal cucumber? ›

Commodity Overview. The Japanese cucumber is 9 to 10 inches long and smaller in diameter than regular cucumbers. It has a bumpy skin and a milder flavor than regular cucumbers. It is available year-round.

Can you eat Japanese cucumber raw? ›

The texture of the seeds is minimal, so Japanese Cucumbers are considered seedless. It's also on the drier side compared to other cucumbers that can be very watery. This cucumber is used in a wide variety of delicious Japanese dishes and it's usually eaten raw.

Is it better to eat cucumber with or without skin? ›

Nutrients: Cucumbers provide few calories but a lot of vitamins and minerals. Cucumbers also have high water content. Cucumbers should be eaten unpeeled to enhance their nutritious value. The quantity of fibre, as well as key vitamins and minerals, is reduced when they are peeled.

Are sunomono salad good for you? ›

Sunomono Salad with Kelp for Thyroid Support

A quick treat for a healthy thyroid, this cucumber and seaweed (kelp) salad is loaded with iodine and selenium, the essentials for a balanced hormone production in thyroid.

What is Buta in Japanese food? ›

Buta means "pig" or "pork", and don is short for donburi, the Japanese word for "bowl".

What does Chuka mean in Japanese food? ›

Overview. Chūka (中華, short for 中華料理 chūka ryōri, literally "Chinese food") is the adjective for Japanese style "Chinese" dishes, or the restaurants in Japan which serve them.

Why is my cucumber salad bitter? ›

A cucumber's bitterness is caused by cucurbitacin, a bitter chemical that protects the plant from predators. Usually, cucurbitacin stays in the stem and leaves, but it can work its way into the fruit. A cucumber's bitterness is caused by cucurbitacin, a bitter chemical that protects the plant from predators.

Why do you soak cucumbers in salt water? ›

This salt treatment draws water out of the cucumbers and flavors them, so it's critically important. After layering or mixing in plenty of sea salt, I cover the salted cukes with ice cubes and a tea towel and forget about them for a few hours.

Why is my cucumber salad so runny? ›

When it comes to making the best cucumber salads, I find that unless you take the time to properly salt and drain the cukes, the end product is watery, limp, and less than tasty. This easy extra step makes extra crunchy slices, takes almost no effort at all, but gives a big payout in the crunch department.

Why are my Japanese cucumbers bitter? ›

The actual cause of bitterness in cucumbers and other gourds, like zucchini, is due to a compound known as cucurbitacin. This compound is always present in cucumbers, but the levels change based on the growing process of the vegetables. The higher the level of cucurbitacin, the more bitter the cucumber.

Why are Japanese cucumbers so good? ›

They are a good source of vitamins C and A, potassium, manganese, folate, dietary fiber and magnesium. They are cool, crisp, nutritious and, as dieters know, low in calories. Summer Dance is a hybrid Japanese cucumber bred by Takii and Co., Ltd. It produces glossy, deep-green fruit about 8 in.

What is the taste of Japanese cucumber? ›

The flesh varies in color from white to pale green and contains no developed seeds. Japanese cucumbers have a mild and refreshing, sweet, vegetal flavor with subtle melon-like, green nuances. The cucumbers also contain a less bitter taste than other cultivars, providing a more pleasant eating experience.

What kind of cucumber can you eat the skin? ›

You don't need to peel English cucumbers or remove the seeds the way you would with other varieties.

How do you take care of Japanese cucumbers? ›

The best way to water Cucumbers is with a drip system or soaker hose, as this keeps the leaves dry and so reduces the chance of disease problems. If you must get the leaves wet, water in the morning, or early evening, so they have a chance to dry out quickly. You don't want the leaves to stay wet all night.

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