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.

Sunomono (酢の物) literally means "vinegared thing" and refers to a Japanese cucumber salad, which is dressed with a sweet vinegar dressing.

Start from seed outside in full sun when soil has warmed to 65 to 75 degrees F (18 to 23.8 C). Soil should be well-draining and nutrient rich, with some additional water-holding capacity. Work in compost well before planting for the best cucumber-growing soil. Plant in hills or in rows, or even into a large container.

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.

Japanese cucumbers are an excellent source of vitamins K, A, and C, folic acid, potassium, and silica, which is a trace mineral that helps strengthen connective tissue. Japanese cucumbers in pickled form are an essential component in Japanese cuisine.

The Japanese cucumber has several advantages over common cucumbers. It is slender, thin-skinned, void of developed seeds, never bitter and entirely edible. The average harvested length is about four inches, while the cucumber is still young. Its skin is forest green and smooth with longitudinal grooves.

Buta means "pig" or "pork", and don is short for donburi, the Japanese word for "bowl". Butadon originated from the city of Obihiro, Japan.

This Japanese Cucumber and Seaweed Salad or Sunomono is incredibly easy, light, refreshing, and healthy. You get that crisp bite from the cucumber and added texture & smooth, chewy bite from the rehydrated wakame/seaweed.

Need some cucumber inspiration? Try Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) that's light, healthy, and incredibly refreshing! This sweet and sour cucumber salad with wakame seaweed makes a versatile side dish to serve with any Japanese meal.

Cucumber grows fast and produces a lot of foliage, so its no surprise that it is a fairly hungry plant and likes fertile soil. Cucumbers grow quite well in containers and several varieties have been produced specifically for this. They will be more productive in larger containers (at least 12" in diameter).

Why are my Japanese cucumbers bitter? ›

Usually, cucurbitacin stays in the stem and leaves, but it can work its way into the fruit, causing bitter cucumbers. Cucumbers tend to grow bitter when the plant is under stress from inconsistent water, fluctuating temperatures or poor soil. The higher the level of the compound, the more bitter the fruit.

Striped Armenian (aka Painted Serpent)

Striped Armenian is one of the sweetest cucumbers. It has small seeds and thin skin.

Best ways to enjoy Japanese cucumbers: eat them raw as a snack, in juice, pickling, as the main or supporting ingredient in sushi and salads, or as an accompaniment to noodle dishes.

Cucumbers also have a high water content. They're made up of about 96% water. To maximize their nutrient content, cucumbers should be eaten unpeeled. Peeling them reduces the amount of fiber, as well as certain vitamins and minerals.

Persian cucumbers

These small 'burpless' cucumbers, so known for their easy digestibility, are also prized for their thin, edible skin and very few seeds, much like the English cucumber.