Step 1: Making the Salad
- 4 cups Japanese cucumbers - can substitute with 2 English cucumbers
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional
To make the salad, first thinly slice the cucumbers and then add them to a bowl along with the salt. Toss to evenly coat the cucumbers and then let them sit for 5-10 minutes — this will help to draw out the water from the cucumbers, which will give them a nicer crunch.
In the meantime, mix together the rice wine vinegar, mirin, sugar, and red pepper flakes.
Once the cucumbers start to release their liquid and look a bit translucent, using your hands, squeeze them to release the excess moisture.
Next, toss the cucumber with the dressing and toss to evenly coat the cucumber with the dressing and then taste for seasoning, adding a touch more salt and/or red pepper flakes, if desired.
Either serve the salad immediately or refrigerate for 30 minutes or so to give the cucumbers time to absorb the flavors. If there is a bit too much liquid, strain the cucumbers of any excess liquid.
Chef's Notes
Note: For this recipe, you can use regular English, Japanese or Persian cucumbers. We do not recommend using regular field cucumbers, because they often have bigger seeds and higher water content but they can be used, you just may want to remove the seeds first.