This dish is something I often eat as an appetizer at Japanese restaurants and it always leaves me craving more! So I decided to make it at home, where I can have as much as I want without feeling guilty asking the waiter for more refills.
This is a side dish is called sunomono, which has a nice and light vinegary smell to it, with great crunch from the Persian or Japanese cucumbers. It’s a super simple salad with a delicious, light flavor you can just throw together right before a meal.
I keep everything for this recipe stocked in the pantry, so all I have to do is find some cucumbers and I’m good to go!
Types of cucumbers to use
Use these types, as they typically match what we need:
- Japanese cucumbers
- Persian cucumbers
- Korean cucumbers
The best type of cucumbers have a thin skin that you don’t need to peel, minimal seeds so you don’t even have to remove any, and a very crunch texture. I can typically find these at local Japanese markets, Trader Joe’s, Mother’s Market, and some American chains like Albertsons have started carrying these too
Avoid these types:
- English cucumbers
- hot house cucumbers
The regular large cucumbers (around 1.5-2″ thick) you’ll find at most American chain supermarkets just won’t work for this recipe–don’t do it! Those cukes are too large, the skin is too thick, they’re loaded with unappetizing seeds, and they’re not crunchy. These typically have a dark green skin, to help you visually identify them.
I can’t even bother with those cucumbers anymore (for any recipe!) after trying these smaller, crunchier varieties. These are commonly found at American chain supermarkets.
How to slice cucumbers quickly
Whichever method you decide to use, your ultimate goal is to get thin slices of cucumber without any slices of your finger :).
If you have a mandolin slicer with some cut-proof gloves you can make quick work of slicing these up. This means having a glove and an extra tool to wash, but if you’re making a larger batch, it’s totally worth it. Also there is a nice aesthetic to the cucumbers using the mandolin slicer since they all come out perfectly uniform.
And don’t forget about your food processor! If yours has a thin enough slicer attachment and a feed tube, you can probably slice up 8 cucumbers for this salad in under a minute.
I’m not shy about cutting these by hand with a chefs knife, but if you’re going to cut 300 of anything, staying consistency with the thickness takes time to achieve. But of course, cutting it by hand with a knife works. Just make sure you have a sharp knife to keep the slices thin. Or if you have a simple box grater, that works just fine too!
Tips for making cucumber salad
Make a double batch and save a second batch for the next day’s meal! It’s much easier to double up than to redo the whole thing when you want it again. You’ll be glad you did :). Make sure to leave the dressing out on the side if you’re planning to serve it on another day though. When you’re ready to serve, add the dressing then top with toasted sesame seeds, and you’re ready to go!
Try my other pickle recipes!
- Vietnamese đồ chua
- Filipino atchara
- Chinese cucumber salad.
- If you want a more traditional salad, you can use my Asian salad dressing.
What is a Japanese cucumber?
Japanese cucumbers are longer and slimmer than typical cucumbers you see at American supermarkets. They’re usually around a 12″ long, a bit longer than Persian cucumbers, yet shorter than the very large English cucumbers that you can often find in plastic wrap. Japanese cucumbers have a green skin like the others.
They typically are covered with tiny little bumps throughout the body that aren’t prickly. Their flavor is mild, not bitter, so they’re great for salads and adding dressing too, or having on the side for a nice light crunchy texture.
Do Japanese cucumbers need to be peeled?
Japanese cucumber skins are relatively thin with a mild to sweet flavor, so no they do not need to be peeled. If you’re looking to add some visual flair by exposing the cucumber’s whiter interior you can peel some of the skin for a striped effect, but you don’t need to spend time peeling the whole thing since I love the look, and the taste and texture is pleasant as is!
Sunomono Salad Recipe (Japanese Cucumber Salad)
Ingredients
- 3 crunchy Japanese or Persian cucumbers
- 2 tsp salt to draw out moisture
Dressing
- 2.25 tbsp (31.5 g) rice vinegar
- .75 tbsp (10 g) sugar
- .2 tsp (.65 g) salt
- .2 tsp (1.05 g) soy sauce
- 0.75 tsp (2.2 g) sesame seeds
Instructions
- Slice the 3 crunchy Japanese or Persian cucumbers very thinly (ideally with a mandolin slicer for uniformity) and transfer to a medium sized bowl.
- Sprinkle with 2 tsp salt and toss with your hands to ensure even salt coverage to draw out moisture. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly to remove the salt, then drain.
- Squeeze all the cucumbers to remove excess moisture. The goal is to remove as much water as you can. Don't be afraid to squeeze hard, the cucumbers can take it!
- Mix dressing ingredients: 2.25 tbsp rice vinegar, .75 tbsp sugar, .2 tsp salt, .2 tsp soy sauce until dissolved.
- Then add to cucumbers to marinate for at least 1 hour. It keeps well overnight too. Keep refrigerated until serving.
- Sprinkle with 0.75 tsp sesame seeds just before serving.
Notes
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Ohh, I’ve had a very similar dish a couple of times before in Japanese restaurants – I didn’t realise it was a different kind of cucumber! I love that dish and the look of this salad. Will have to keep an eye out for the Japanese/Persion varieties)
Yup, and it’s really easy to make too!
This is a very good article. Thank you for a great information.
Looks really yummy.
I like to eat salad.
Agreed
I made this for a sake tasting i had this past weekend and everyone LOVED the salad. I used english cucumbers as they were more readily available to me than the Persian or Japanese styles. The English cucumbers worked perfectly too.
I had some leftovers for the next day that were also quite delicious! Thank you for sharing this healthy recipe and clever way to use cucumbers.
Hey Deanna, that’s amazing to hear! This is such a simple one to make and thanks for the tip on the English cucumbers. I think they’re pretty similar and can be swapped when needed. Cheers!
Actually you can use regular cucumbers in a pinch, just get the smallest in diameter you can. First “rake ” the skins with a fork lengthwise to cut through the skin all around. Next cut the cuke in half lengthwise and using a spoon scrape out the seeds and soft core. Then thinly slice crosswise. Your slices will sort of look like half moons. Then proceed with the recipe.
What kind of rice wine vinegar Is used here? Seasoned or plain?
Plain 🙂
Delicious recipe! I added some toasted sesame oil and it was perfect.
This is so good!!! I grew my own Japanese cucumbers and made this exactly as instructed. I will be making it several times a week until the cukes are all gone.
Several times a week, wow! Thanks Julie 🙂
Your recipe is my ‘go to site’ to make Sunomono Salad. Easy instructions, simple ingredients. I also use English cucumbers or mini cucumbers with great results. I always use my mandoline to get uniform slices. Toasting the sesame seeds is a nice touch and I remember my mother in law serving the salad this way.
Awesome glad you enjoyed it Mary!
Do you ever add ginger
Never tried ginger in this!
The measurements are very confusing. .2 tsp im not sure how to measure that.
Thanks for the feedback DT! I developed this recipe using grams, so have approximated volumes (like 0.2 tsp) as closely as possible. It seemed better to leave it this way vs rounding up/down measurements just so it’s even. For accuracy I recommend using a scale, but if you really cannot do that I recommend estimating as closely as you can with measuring spoons. For example to reach 0.2 tsp, use a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon and fill it only 80% of the way as closely as you can.
Great recipe! Have made this twice, the 1st time I followed it exactly. The next time I replaced the sesame seeds with furikake it was even more delicious. Thank you for posting this.
Thank you, Huy. Your recipe for sunomono is one of the best I’ve seen online. It’s detailed without overexplaining and much closer to my mom’s than the others, allowing for regional variations and personal preferences. Excellent work, sir!
Your cucumbers are delicious and very easy to make. Planning on doing a big side dish for Christmas.
Do you have a good recipe for Hot and Sour soup?