Tip: Make the dressing, and soak and drain the wakame and cucumbers well in advance, refrigerating them until needed. Assembling and serving the salad then takes only moments.
Special sushi tools: Japanese mandoline or sharp knife
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1/2 cup high-quality rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 ounce (10 grams) dried, ready-to-use wakame
2 Japanese cucumbers
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon slivered fresh gingerroot (optional)
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Stir the vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce together until the sugar is dissolved.
Refrigerate this dressing until needed, up to 3 or 4 days.
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Cover and soak the wakame in cold water until it softens, about 5 minutes.
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While the wakame is soaking, slice the cucumbers into very thin rounds, using a Japanese mandoline or a sharp knife.
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Drain the wakame and set it aside briefly.
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Soak the sliced cucumbers in the water seasoned with the salt for 5 minutes.
Soaking the cucumbers softens them so that they absorb the rice vinegar dressing.
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Drain the cucumbers, gently squeezing out any excess moisture.
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Toss the softened wakame and cucumbers with one-fourth of the dressing.
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Place one-fourth of this salad in each of four small, shallow plates or bowls.
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Drizzle over a little more dressing and garnish with slivered gingerroot, if desired.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Buy ready-to-use, already cut-up, dried wakame that needs just a few minutes to soften and come back to life. Use a good rice wine vinegar because it’s the dominant taste in this salad.
Per serving: Calories 43 (From fat 1); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 270mg; Carbohydrate 10g (Dietary fiber 2g); Protein 2g.