Vinegar-soaked Cucumber

Vinegar-soaked cucumber, or kyuuri no sunomono, is a Japanese dish I learned to make last week at my friend Eriko's house.  It's a simple and healthy vegetable dish that goes really well with Korean food, as I found :) 

Here are the simple directions for this lovely dish!

Ingredients:
-3-4 small cucumbers, sliced thin
-2 tbsp fish broth
-1 1/2 tbsp vinegar
-2 tbsp sugar
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp soy sauce
-seaweed or green salad
-crispy fish to sprinkle on top (optional)

1.  First, slice cucumber into thin slices.

2.  Prepare fish broth.  You can find these amazing little packets (like tea bags) that you can boil in water to make broth without buying fish. 

3.  Mix broth, vinegar, sugar, salt, and soy sauce together.

4.  Lay out cucumber slices in a container, then drizzle the vinegar mixture over cucumber.

5.  After about 20-25 minutes, wring them out, and serve over seaweed or salad greens.  This is what we used--a package of mixed seaweed, corn, carrots, and jellyfish.

You soak them in water...

And they become huge after a while.

Delicious!

Here is the finished product...cucumbers over seaweed salad.  YUM.

Optionally, you can sprinkle them with crispy little fried fish (my dad and i LOVE these).  Or, you can serve them with a side of shrimp.  We went with the crispy fish :)

A refreshing side dish to complement heavier meals!  I love Asian food! :)

For a printable version of this recipe, please click here.