Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Japanese Cucumber Salad



I have developed a real love for Japanese food. I am a beginner with this type of cuisine and am just starting to try new things. One thing I tried recently at a local restaurant and loved was cucumber salad. For some reason it popped in my head last night and I knew I had to make it today. John and I agreed that this recipe was so close to the salad we got from the restaurant. I halved the recipe and it was perfect for the two of us as a side dish. Delicious and refreshing- a real must try!

Source: Eating Well

Ingredients:
2 medium cucumbers or 1 large English cucumber
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted (see tip below)

1. Peel cucumbers to leave alternating green stripes. Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise; scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Using a food processor or sharp knife, cut into very thin slices. Place in a double layer of paper towel and squeeze gently to remove any excess moisture.
2. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium bowl, stirring to dissolve. Add the cucumbers and sesame seeds; toss well to combine. Serve immediately.

TIP: To toast sesame seeds, heat a small dry skillet over low heat. Add sesame seeds and stir constantly until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

** 0 points per serving

14 comments:

  1. oooo.... I love japanese. Can't wait to try this. I love how light this sounds :)

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  2. This dressing also works with shredded cabbage or thin sliced raw zucchini!
    I usually make a huge batch of this and use the leftovers in rice paper summer rolls with avocado and cooked shrimp. Just drain off most of the liquid from the cucumbers and layer on a softened rice wrapper with rice vermicelli and other fillings of your choice. YUM!

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  3. so good! i added thinly sliced red onion half-moons and a 1/2 tsp of chili garlic sauce. ate the whole bowl before dinner.

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  4. Do you work for Eating Well? This recipe seem like the same one here:

    http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/japanese_cucumber.html

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  5. No, I don't work for Eating Well. However if you read the blog entry it clearly sites my source as Eating Well so I am not sure as to the confusion.

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  6. Oh, this was good. I followed the recipe first time, next time I left out the sesame seeds and I really don't think they added anything. Hubby even liked this one and he usually doesn't like cucumbers. I have plenty more cucumbers, I'll make this often this summer.

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  7. A quite similar dish, with something else than rice vinegear (don't know what type, the most common one in the West?), is a common Scandinavian side dish as well. Except we don't add sesame seeds, but I am sure it tastes good :)

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  8. Hi Stephanie! This recipe looked so good I couldn't resist posting it on my Three Things Thursday post as it was all about sides this week. Keep up the delicious work in the kitchen! I love reading your recipes.
    http://kitchencanister.blogspot.com/2010/03/three-things-thursday-31810.html

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  9. Good job stealing the recipe from the Food Network!!!

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/eating-well/japanese-cucumber-salad-recipe/index.html

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  10. Dear Anonymous,

    Please learn to read. I clearly state my source, Eating Well, in my blog. Also, if you knew how to read you would see that the food network got the recipe from eating well and that it is not in fact a food network recipe. I appreciate all readers feeback, but I also prefer readers to read prior to commenting.

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  11. Anonymous-

    Clearly her recipe cites her source. It says "Eating Well" as the source right above Ingredients.

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  12. Can apple cider vinegar work?

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