00:00I absolutely love this cucumber salad says one of my readers and today i'm showing why
00:05the crunch starts in the brine the flavor ends in fragrant ginger this is the cucumber salad
00:10you have on repeat let's go a printable version of this recipe is available on my website
00:16simply google cucumber salads that you do grab yours whisk together one tablespoon of unseasoned
00:23rice vinegar one teaspoon of sugar one teaspoon of japanese light soy sauce and a pinch of dashi
00:29granules until everything dissolves now add five grams of thinly julienned ginger those delicate
00:36little matte sticks and let them steep in the dressing while we prep the cucumbers if you're
00:43vegetarian or vegan just swap the regular dashi granules for plant-based kombu dashi granules
00:48or skip them entirely if you don't have usukuchi light sosos you can just use regular japanese sosos
00:56now for the optional cucumber prep this is for when you want extra vivid green bring water to a rolling
01:06boil at 100 degrees and set up a large ice bath wash two cucumbers sprinkle them with some cold salt
01:14and roll them firmly against the cutting board for 15 to 20 seconds this technique is known as itazuri it
01:23smoothes out the spines tames those grassy notes and helps the skin shine you'll actually feel the
01:31surface loses prickly texture and start looking slightly glossy just don't overdo it if you want
01:39that vivid green submerge the whole salt rubbed cucumbers in boiling water for 15 seconds then
01:46immediately till them in the ice bath until cold this heat and hot trick brightens the crawler fill
01:53without cooking the interior so you get the color pop but the crunch stays very much employed
02:00but these are completely optional by the way if you can't find japanese cucumbers purging cucumbers are
02:07your best match just slice them as is kirby or pickling cucumbers work too just peel a few strips if
02:14the skin
02:15feels tough for the complete guide on alternatives check out my article once they're cold trim the
02:22ends then slice the cucumbers about two millimeters thick thinner slices will wilt and taste overly sharp
02:29from the dressing thicker slices won't absorb the flavor quickly enough we're aiming for flexible coins
02:36that still give a satisfying snap when bent now stir one tablespoon of fine salt into 500 milliliters of
02:45cold water to make a roughly 3% brine add the cucumber slices and let them soak for exactly 10
02:52minutes
02:52this step pulls out excess water through osmosis so the cucumbers stay wonderfully crunchy even after
02:59they're dressed but go past 15 minutes and things start veering too salty so stay tight on the timing
03:08drain the cucumber slices well then scoop up a handful and give them a gentle squeeze once or twice stop
03:15as soon as normal drops fall this part is crucial over squeezing crashes the cells and turn those beautiful
03:24slices mushy we want them drained not demolished now toast the cucumbers with that ginger infused dressing
03:31until every single slice glistens look at that each coin is coated with tangish subtly sweet goodness
03:38punctuated by those bright threads of ginger cover the bowl and chop for 20 to 30 minutes to let those
03:46flavors really soak in and there you have it japanese cucumber salad or kiuri no sunomono this is the
03:54kind of dish that shows up at japanese tables all the time quietly stealing the show as a refreshing
04:00side want even more delicious recipes grab my free cookbook from the link in the description
04:08okay let's go over the ingredients one more time and if you're ready to cook grab the written
04:12instructions by clicking the full recipe box with a picture that's about to pop up on your screen
04:18that's a wrap you can find a full printable version of this recipe on my website linked right here on
04:24screen it has all the extra details to help you get it perfect every time if you enjoy this check
04:30out my
04:30salad playlist and next week i'm making terry egg meatballs hit subscribe so you don't miss it see you then
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