Salt-Massaged Cucumbers With Miso and Sesame
- Total Time
- About 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 7 or 8very small seedless cucumbers, about 1 pound
- 2teaspoons kosher salt
- 4tablespoons unhulled sesame seeds
- 3tablespoons brown rice miso
- 2tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1teaspoon finely grated ginger
- 6shiso leaves (available at Asian markets)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
109 calories; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 921 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Wash cucumbers but do not peel. Cut off and discard ends, and slice cucumbers into ⅛-inch rounds. Put in a medium-size bowl, sprinkle with salt and mix well. Leave for 10 minutes.
- Step 2
In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast sesame seeds until fragrant and just beginning to pop, 1 minute or less. Transfer to a suribachi (Japanese grinding bowl) or mortar and grind to a coarse paste. Add miso, vinegar and ginger and stir well.
- Step 3
Squeeze cucumbers a handful at a time to express their liquid. Drain in a colander. Stack shiso leaves and roll into a cigar shape. Slice thinly with a sharp knife. Dress cucumbers with miso-sesame mixture. Sprinkle with shiso slivers, toss gently and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
Cilantro, mint or basil Betel nut leaves You can use tahini instead of toasting and grinding sesame seeds (same thing). I've made my own tahini by toasting a large package of sesame seeds then grinding them in the food processor. Only a small amount of vegetable oil was needed to get the paste going. It was a richer flavor than store-bought (and cheaper). You can mix tahini with water to thin it down and use in salad dressing recipes.
nori strips substitute for shiso
I prepared this salad to serve with Japanese potato salad and chicken tsukune (I was going to make other skewers on the robata, but bad weather forced a change of plan). The amount of salt is a bit much. 1-1.5 tsp would suffice. I also found the brown rice miso a bit intense. I had a similar salad recently and it had what I think could have been a white miso and that worked.
Made this to accompany my husband’s yakarori grilled meats and it was perfect. Substituted tahini for the seasame seed paste and (Thai) basil for the shiso. Turned out wonderfully.
This made a nice side dish to a Japanese style meal. With one English cucumber, only used about one tablespoon of the prepared dressing. Added a few teaspoons of honey to the dressing to balance out the sour flavor.
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