Chinese Wakame Seaweed and Cucumber Salad with Sesame Recipe
A light, crunchy salad made with wakame seaweed and cucumber, this is a popular snack in Asian restaurants. In China, similar seaweed salads are served as small side dishes with rice and main courses – a bit like our cucumber salad, only more ocean-like. The sweet-and-sour sesame dressing makes even people who are “afraid of seaweed” often come back for seconds.
This salad combines the refreshing crunch of cucumber with the umami depth of wakame seaweed and a fragrant sesame dressing. It’s quick to prepare, looks impressive on the table, and brings a distinct Asian character to even the simplest meal.
Chef's tips
Don’t soak the wakame too long, or it can become mushy. Taste the dressing before adding it to the salad and adjust the balance of sourness and sweetness to your liking. If your soy sauce is very salty, you may want to reduce the amount of salt used on the cucumber.
How to serve
Serve in small bowls as part of a larger Asian-style spread with rice, dumplings, or grilled fish. It also works well as a refreshing side dish to rich, fried or grilled meats.
Ingredients
- dried wakame seaweed available in Asian grocery stores; increases greatly in volume after soaking - 10 g
- fresh cucumber long, greenhouse - 1 piece
- soy sauce - 1.5 tablespoons
- rice vinegar can be replaced with apple cider vinegar - 2 tablespoons
- sugar - 1 tablespoon
- sesame oil - 1 tablespoon
- sesame seeds white or a mix of white and black - 1 tablespoon
- garlic finely chopped or pressed - 1 clove
- salt for the cucumber - 0.25 teaspoons
- fresh chili pepper optional, finely chopped - 0.5 piece
Preparation
- Put the dried wakame seaweed into a bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Set aside for 10 minutes, until it swells and softens.
- Wash the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the soft seedy center with a teaspoon, then slice into thin half-moons.
- Transfer the cucumber to a bowl, sprinkle with salt, mix and set aside for 10 minutes so it releases excess water.
- Drain the soaked seaweed in a sieve and briefly rinse with cold water. If the pieces are large, cut them into strips about 3–4 cm long.
- Gently squeeze the cucumber with your hands or pat dry with paper towels so the salad doesn’t turn watery.
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until lightly golden and fragrant. Remove from the pan so they don’t burn.
- In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and garlic until the sugar dissolves.
- Put the wakame seaweed and cucumber into a larger bowl. Add the chopped chili pepper, if using.
- Pour the prepared dressing over everything, mix thoroughly and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds.
- Let the salad sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes so the flavors meld, then serve.
Storage
Sałatkę przechowuj w lodówce do 2 dni. Przed podaniem wymieszaj, bo sos opada na dno. Z czasem ogórek lekko mięknie, ale nadal jest smaczny. Nie mroź – ogórek po rozmrożeniu będzie papkowaty.
