Sunomono

I had half a cucumber in the fridge and decided to slice up some sunomono.  This is the little cucumber salad you get in a bento box.  It's slightly tangy from the vinegar and more than a little sweet.  Sunomono is an easy side for lunch, and it tastes better the second day.

The trick to an even marinade is very thin slices.  If you have a mandoline or food processor, set it to the thinner blade.  If you have an offset vegetable peeler, you may be able to use that as your slicer if you get a Japanese or Persian cucumber.  Those should be narrow enough for the peeler to straddle.

*1 English cucumber or 3 Japanese or Persian cucumbers
1/2 tsp salt
*3 Tb rice wine vinegar
1 Tb sugar
1 drop soy sauce
sesame seeds for garnish

1.  Peel cucumber if desired.  Slice cucumber as thinly as possible.  Arrange in a sieve and sprinkle with salt.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then squeeze out any water the salt has drawn from the vegetable.  Transfer to a bowl or storage container.

2.  In a small bowl, stir together vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce until sugar dissolves.  You can microwave it for 15 seconds to speed up the process.  Toss dressing on cucumbers and chill for at least 1 hour to marinate.

3.  Serve as 1/4 C mounds on the edge of the plate or in a sauce cup, topped by a tiny sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Yield depends on size of cucumber, about 4

Difficulty rating  π