flipSeasonal Vegetables in Agar-Agar and Mild Vinegar (Sunomono)
Seasonal Vegetables in Agar-Agar and Mild Vinegar (Sunomono)
Why this dish? Yoshimoto loves "seasonal vegetables" and simple Japanese cooking. Sunomono, that little vinegared dish that keeps in the fridge and awakens the palate, embodies her minimalist table attuned to the seasons.
Thin slices of cucumber and wakame marinated in lightly sweetened rice vinegar, sometimes perked up with ginger. Fresh, crunchy, refreshing — the tangy note that balances the whole meal.
When it's muggy in Tokyo, nothing revives me like that little tangy bowl straight from the fridge. I salt the cucumber, I squeeze the water out with my hands — that simple gesture calms me. The vinegar, barely sweetened, keeps the vegetables fresh for two or three days; I make a bowl in advance, and it waits for me, cool, like a little promise.
- •Japanese cucumber — one (crunch)
- •Wakame — a pinch, rehydrated (seaweed)
- •Rice vinegar — a few spoonfuls (preservative acidity)
- •Sugar and salt — a touch (balance)
- •Ginger — a sliver (pungent freshness)
Seasonal Vegetables in Agar-Agar and Mild Vinegar (Sunomono)
Thin slices of cucumber and wakame marinated in lightly sweetened rice vinegar, sometimes perked up with ginger. Fresh, crunchy, refreshing — the tangy note that balances the whole meal.
Why this dish? Yoshimoto loves "seasonal vegetables" and simple Japanese cooking. Sunomono, that little vinegared dish that keeps in the fridge and awakens the palate, embodies her minimalist table attuned to the seasons.
When it's muggy in Tokyo, nothing revives me like that little tangy bowl straight from the fridge. I salt the cucumber, I squeeze the water out with my hands — that simple gesture calms me. The vinegar, barely sweetened, keeps the vegetables fresh for two or three days; I make a bowl in advance, and it waits for me, cool, like a little promise.
Ingredients (period version)
- Japanese cucumber — one (crunch)
- Wakame — a pinch, rehydrated (seaweed)
- Rice vinegar — a few spoonfuls (preservative acidity)
- Sugar and salt — a touch (balance)
- Ginger — a sliver (pungent freshness)
Ingredients
- Cucumber — 1 long (crunch)
- Dried wakame — 1 tsp, rehydrated (seaweed)
- Rice vinegar — 3 tbsp (acidity)
- Sugar — 1 tsp (balance)
- Salt — 1 tsp (+ for salting) (seasoning)
- Fresh ginger — 1 small piece, grated (aroma)
- Toasted sesame seeds — 1 tsp (finish)
Method
- Slice the cucumber into very thin rounds, salt them and let them drain for 10 minutes.
- Gently squeeze the cucumber with your hands to remove excess water.
- Rehydrate the wakame, drain.
- Mix vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt until dissolved.
- Combine cucumber, wakame and ginger with the marinade.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes, sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.
How it was made : Sunomono is part of the "su" (vinegar) dishes that have structured Japanese cuisine for centuries: rice vinegar played the dual role of seasoning and mild preservative, allowing vegetables to be kept cool for a few days before the age of refrigeration. It varied with the season: cucumber in summer, turnip or persimmon in autumn.
The contemporary twist : Served in individual shot glasses with a sliver of candied ginger, it becomes an elegant appetizer for a summer dinner.
Sources : Shizuo Tsuji, Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art (1980)
Banana Yoshimoto · Charactorium
