We’re entering the last weeks of August and I’m reminded to savor the best of the season harvest before summer ends. This Smashed Cucumber Salad with Ume Dressing (たたききゅうりの梅ドレッシング和え) couldn’t have come at a better time. This salad has a refreshing crunch and a punchy dressing with a bright flavor. It’s a wonderful side dish to serve with your meal to cleanse the palate. It’s a feel-good, detox salad that my body’s been craving. Let me teach you how to make this simple salad!
What is Smashed Cucumber Salad?
In Japan, we call smashed cucumber tataki kyuri (たたききゅうり) and often use it in salad and tsukemono (pickles). We combine it with a refreshing dressing that includes sake and mirin instead of rice vinegar. Since the cucumbers in this dish are fresh, we’ll bring the dressing mixture to a boil so the alcohol content evaporates. We want the flavor and umami from the sake and mirin, but not the alcohol. The dressing features umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum) that we enjoy all year round but especially in summertime. Due to the citric acid and salt, umeboshi has a distinctive sour and salty taste. It helps keep harmful bacteria at bay and has powerful restorative quality that help you recover from fatigue. That’s why we intentionally eat umeboshi as it helps to replenish the salt and water you lose on hot summer days.
Why Smash the Cucumbers?
You may wonder why we smash the beautiful cucumbers. Smashing the whole cucumber creates more surface area compared to uniformly cutting the cucumber pieces. The more open the surface is, the more the flavor absorbs into the cucumber. We typically use a wooden rolling pin or surikogi (Japanese pestle) to do the job. Once the cucumber starts to crack, we use our hands to tear it further. This smashed cucumber technique is also used in Chinese and Korean dishes that dress the cucumbers in sesame oil, chili, sesame seeds, and a generous pinch of salt. Does your cuisine use this method with cucumbers or other vegetables, too?
Ingredients You’ll Need
Japanese or Persian cucumbers – these two varieties have less seeds, so they work the better than English cucumbers or America myoga ginger – you can substitute grated ginger, or skip umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums) dashi (Japanese soup stock) – use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi sake mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine) soy sauce
Variations and Substitutions
Skip the myoga. In today’s recipe, I added myoga ginger as I had some in handy. If you don’t have it, you can use a tiny bit of regular ginger for the zing or just leave it out. There are plenty of flavors in the dressing already. Add a touch of heat. If you love spicy food, add some chili oil or dried chili pepper. Japanese Chili Oil and Crunchy Garlic Chili Oil with crispy shallots are both good options. Add different salad ingredients like lettuce, tomatoes, or radish to the cucumbers. Add citrus flavor. If you like tartness, garnish the salad with yuzu peel. Or, you can squeeze lime juice or lemon juice on top for a splash of bright flavor.
How to Make Smashed Cucumber Salad with Ume Dressing
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. The salad is simple yet absolutely divine! Not only it is a fresh take on cucumber salad, it is also a breeze to whip up. I love serving it with a Cold Somen Noodle for lunch or with Grilled Mackerel for dinner.
Other Umeboshi Recipes on JOC
Ume Shiso Pasta Ume Shiso Rice Plum Rice Ball
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