Sunomono, or “vinegar marinated thing” is something I keep on hand all the time for bentos or just as a side dish. It is quick and easy to make and lasts for quite awhile in the fridge, being vinegared and all. There are variety of ways to make sunomono, but perhaps the most popular is the vinegared thin-sliced cucumber and tiny shrimp. I’m going to use cucumber for this recipe and omit the shrimp, to simplify things a bit.
What you need
- Special Equipment
- Mandolin, sharp knife or food processor with slicer attachment
- Ingredients
- Three or four kyuri (Japanese cucumbers), or one English cucumber, or a large American cucumber. (The kyuri have smaller seeds and a sweeter flavor, so they are ideal for this)
- 2/3 cup rice vinegar (I use a really dark Japanese brown rice vinegar)
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp sake (a clear sake is preferred for presentation, but it doesn’t matter)
What to do
Step 1 – Mix the rice vinegar, sake and sugar in a bowl until the sugar completely dissolves.
Step 2 – Peel the cucumbers (or don’t!). I like to peel them partially by just peeling strips down the sides, but it’s totally up to you. I think it looks really nice. Cut the little nubbins off the ends if you want.
Step 3 – Using a very sharp knife, food processor w/slicing attachment, or (my favorite) a mandolin, slice up the cucumber! Test it after a couple slices to make sure they aren’t too thick or thin.
Step 4 – Thoroughly mix the cucumber and the vinegar/sugar/sake solution together in a bowl, incorporating it well. Press the cucumber down under the solution, put some plastic wrap over the top and stick it in the fridge for a few hours to let all the flavors set in. I like to leave it overnight.
Variations
You can add thin sliced octopus, vinegared mackerel, cooked shrimp, shirasu imitation crab…. the list is endless. And if you are tired of cucumber, I’ve used thinly-sliced broccoli stalks (blanched until tender), thin sliced carrots, renkon (lotus root) and even hakusai (Chinese cabbage). You can even add slices of jalapeño or dried red chili – it’s totally up to your individual taste.
If you do make this dish, please let me know in the comments! All suggestions are welcome, and I’d love to hear about any variations you come up with.
I made some sunomono! I just made it straight from the recipe with no variation, and it came out great. I posted all about it: take a look!
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I’ve been making daikon with this (give or take) recipe for number of years now, my favorite pickled things…
I’ve also made “devil’s carrots” by adding red chili flakes and garlic to thinly-sliced carrots – super crunchy and hot. For carrots I usually up the quantity of all ingredients and add some hot water, making it into more of a traditional marinade – softens the carrots a bit. And I keep them pickling for a couple of days.
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Mathias Purtlebaugh Reply:
September 4th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Ooh, the “devil’s carrots” sounds really good. I’ve made a similar pickle with renkon (lotus root) and red chilis. Lotus root really retains its crunchiness, even when pickled, and has a great texture.
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