Ingredients
Directions 8 steps | 5 Minutes
Prepare the dressing. In a bowl, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, kosher salt, soy sauce and hon-dashi. Whisk until well combined and set aside.
Rehydrate the dried wakame seaweed. Soak the dried wakame seaweed in water and soak for 10 minutes.
Salt the cucumber. Slice off both ends of the cucumber. Use a potato or vegetable peeler to peel one strip. Move over about the width of the strip, leaving the skin intact. Then peel a second strip, creating a striped pattern. Continue until the entire cucumber is peeled in a striped pattern. Repeat with the second cucumber.
Slice the cucumber into thin rounds and place them in a bowl.
Sprinkle the kosher salt over the sliced cucumber and gently rub them against each other. Set aside for 5 minutes. (See notes 4.)
Squeeze the water out from the rehydrated wakame seaweed and salted cucumber.
Transfer the wakame seaweed and cucumber into the bowl with the dressing. Toss until evenly coated.
Garnish with a sprinkling of toasted white sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Notes:
- There are many varieties of cucumbers, but I like using Japanese cucumbers for their crunchy and seedless texture. If you can't find Japanese cucumbers, you can use English or Persian cucumbers. I do not recommend regular (American) cucumbers as they have big seeds, higher moisture content and thick skin.
- This recipe uses Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using Morton's use a ¼ teaspoon. Different kosher salt brands have varied crystal sizes and may affect the salinity of the recipe, so adjust accordingly.
- Hon-dashi is readily available in Asian markets, such as H-Mart.
- For this salad recipe, salting the cucumber is an important step. It helps to remove excess liquid from the cucumber, which in turn yields a great crunch for the salad.
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