Wakame Kyuri Sunomono

Ingredients:
* 1 small cucumber
* 1 cup wakame seaweed (softened)
* 4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
* 2 tbsp sugar
* 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:
Cut softened wakame seaweed into about 2inch-long pieces. Slice cucumber into thin rounds. Put salt over cucumber slices and set aside for 20 minutes. Squeeze cucumber slices to remove the liquid. Mix vinegar and sugar in a bowl. Add wakame seaweed and cucumber slices in the bowl and mix well.

Kyuri & Daikon Sunomono

This type of vinegary salad is called sunomono in Japan. Since it has a refreshing taste, it goes with many types of dishes.



Ingredients:
* 1 small daikon radish
* 1 small cucumber
* 5 tbsp rice vinegar
* 2 tbsp sugar
* 1 tsp salt

Preparation:
Peel daikon radish and slice it into thin slices. Slice the cucumber to the same thickness. Salt the cucumber and daikon slices and wait about 5-10 mins. Wash off the daikon and cucumber slices and drain the water through a strainer. Mix the vinegar and sugar in a cup. Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumber and daikon slices. Set aside at least 15 min. before serving.

Sunomono

Vinegared dishes are called sunomono as su means vinegar in Japanese. Sunomono has a refreshing taste and goes with many types of dishes. It's a good side dish or an appetizer to serve in a Japanese-style meal. Sunomono also helps to enhance appetite.
There are mainly three types of vinegar dressings for sunomono:

Ama-zu (sweet vinegar mixture)
Vinegar / Sugar / Salt
Mix and heat 2 parts vinegar, 1 part sugar, and some salt.
Nibai-zu
Vinegar / Soy Sauce
Mix equal amounts of vinegar and soy sauce.
Sanbai-zu
Vinegar / Soy Sauce / Mirin or Sugar
Mix and heat equal amounts of seasonings. *The amount of sugar is about one third of mirin.

Dashi stock is often added in nibai-zu and sanbai-zu to soften the flavor. Adjust the amounts of seasonings, depending on your preference and ingredients.