Japanese Cucumber Salad, Kyuri no Sunomono, Cucumber Wakame Salad
This sunomono recipe makes Japan's classic cucumber and wakame salad: paper-thin cucumber, soft rehydrated wakame, enoki mushrooms and a sweet-sour rice-vinegar dressing with a whisper of ginger and sesame. There is no cooking at all — you salt the cucumber, whisk the dressing and toss everything together. One serving is about 109 g, a small bowlful that works as a side dish or a light starter.
Sunomono takes its name from su, the Japanese word for vinegar, and mono, meaning a thing or dish — a vinegared dish, in other words. Vinegared salads have been part of Japanese cooking for centuries, and the cucumber-and-wakame version is the one most Japanese home cooks make: a small, cold, sour-sweet dish served as a kobachi, one of the little side dishes that balance a set meal. It is the dish Japanese cooks reach for when a meal needs something crisp and bright beside something rich.
Pairs well with: Grilled fish, a bowl of steamed rice, and a small cup of miso soup.
Provenance
Japan
Japanese Heritage
East & South Asia
Time Dedication
25m
25m prep • 0m cook
Batch Yield
4 Servings
48 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 109 g
Technical Skill
Easy
Easy (No Cooking)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Prime Metabolic Fit
Dinner
Ideal Hearty Main
Snack & Tea
Inappropriate
Japanese Heritage
Photo: Vegan Feast Catering, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Low — about $2 per serving at home (USD)
Good sunomono is judged by its crunch: the cucumber must stay crisp, the dressing bright and the wakame soft but never slimy.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Salt, Soak and Dress
25 Mins • Slicing & Mixing
Salt the cucumber first, because it needs a few minutes to give up its water — that is what keeps the salad crisp instead of watery. While it rests, soak the wakame and whisk the dressing, so everything is ready to toss together at the end.
Maestro Tip: Squeeze the salted cucumber firmly in your hands; a surprising amount of water comes out, and that is exactly what you want.
5 Mins No heat
Slice the cucumbers as thinly as you can, about 1-2 mm — a mandoline makes this easy, but a sharp knife works too. Put the slices in a bowl, sprinkle over the 2 g of salt and toss. Leave for 5 minutes while you prepare the rest.
Do not skip the salt: unsalted cucumber weeps water into the dressing and dilutes it within minutes.
Done when: The cucumber slices have softened slightly and look a little translucent at the edges.
5 Mins No heat
Put the 8 g of dried wakame in a bowl of cold water and leave for 5 minutes. It will swell to about 80 g — roughly ten times its dry weight. Drain it well and squeeze out the water with your hands, then cut any long strands into bite-size pieces.
Cold water, not hot: hot water makes wakame slimy instead of pleasantly chewy.
Done when: The wakame is soft, dark green and springy, with no dry, crunchy bits left.
2 Mins No heat
In a small bowl, whisk together the 60 ml of rice vinegar, 12 g of sugar, 10 ml of soy sauce and the grated ginger until the sugar has completely dissolved. Taste it: it should be clearly sour first, then sweet, with a salty finish.
If the vinegar tastes too sharp, add a pinch more sugar; if it tastes flat, add a few more drops of vinegar — the dressing should make your mouth water.
Done when: The sugar has dissolved and the dressing tastes bright, sweet and salty in that order.
3 Mins No heat
Take the salted cucumber in handfuls and squeeze firmly to press out as much water as you can, then put it in a serving bowl. Add the squeezed wakame, the enoki clusters and the dressing, and toss gently so everything is coated.
Toss with chopsticks or two forks rather than a spoon — the salad is delicate and a spoon crushes the cucumber.
Done when: Every strand is glossy with dressing and the bowl has no puddle of liquid at the bottom.
10 Mins Serve chilled, about 5°C (41°F)
Cover and chill for 10 minutes so the flavours settle, then sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds and serve cold in small bowls.
Serve within an hour: after that the cucumber starts to soften and the salad loses its crunch.
Done when: The salad is cold, crisp and bright-tasting, with the cucumber still crunchy.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the sunomono cold, straight from the fridge, in small bowls — it is a side dish, so a modest portion is right. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on at the last moment so they stay crisp.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
48
kcal / serving
Protein
2g
Complete AA
Carbs
9g
Complex
Fats
1g
Healthy
| Energy | 48 kcal |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9 g |
| Fat | 1 g |
| Fibre | 1.1 g |
| Sugar | 4.5 g |
| Sodium | 508 mg |
| Energy | 44 kcal |
| Protein | 1.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 8.3 g |
| Fat | 0.8 g |
| Fibre | 1 g |
| Sugar | 4.1 g |
| Sodium | 466 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Cucumber and wakame add vitamin K and iodine; ginger adds small amounts of vitamin C and magnesium, and sesame seeds add calcium and iron.
Light and Refreshing
At about 48 kcal a serving, this is one of the lightest salads you can make — mostly cucumber and seaweed, with the flavour coming from the dressing rather than oil or cream.
Hydrating and Crisp
Cucumber is mostly water, and the cold, vinegared dressing is refreshing on a hot day or beside a rich main course.
Seaweed Brings Iodine and Minerals
Wakame is a natural source of iodine and magnesium, minerals that are easy to miss in a land-based diet — one small bowl contributes a useful amount.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Sides
Grilled Salmon or Mackerel
Something cold, sour and crisp is the perfect foil for rich, oily fish: the vinegar cuts through the fat and resets the palate between bites.
Soups
A Small Bowl of Miso Soup
Hot, savoury miso soup beside a cold, sour salad gives the meal its temperature contrast — the classic Japanese way to balance a set meal.
Drinks
Iced Green Tea
Cold, unsweetened green tea washes down the vinegar dressing without adding sugar or competing flavours.
Full Menus
As a Japanese Set Meal
Serve the sunomono with steamed rice, grilled fish and miso soup — the small sour salad is the kobachi, the little dish that balances the tray.
Complete menu
Serve the sunomono with steamed rice, grilled salmon and a small bowl of miso soup — a light, complete Japanese lunch in which the sour salad balances the rich fish.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Leaving It in the Dressing Overnight
Cucumber left sitting in vinegar goes limp and the wakame turns slimy; the salad is at its best within an hour of tossing. This is general cooking guidance, not medical advice.
Doubling the Salt for a Saltier Salad
This small salad already carries about 508 mg of sodium per serving, mostly from the salt, soy sauce and wakame; adding more salt pushes it well past what a light side dish should have. This is general guidance, not medical advice.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
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