Japanese Smashed Cucumber with Umeboshi

I received a lot of cucumbers, and while I ate them in the form of salads and pickles, I got tired of those dishes, so I tried making this.Adding bonito dashi stock granules deepens the flavours of the dish.It's alright to use regular sesame seeds instead of roasted ones. Try adding a little sesame oil to enjoy a different taste.Alternatively, julienning or roughly cubing the cucumbers and eating them with cold tofu or noodles is also delicious. Recipe by unihotate

This is the type of food that you expect to see at izakakaya restaurants as appetizer called “otooshi”. While you look at the menu thinking what to order, you get something to munch on. Isn’t it great?!

Super easy and refreshing dish that’s perfect for a quick side dish. The simple combination of sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar brings out the cucumber’s natural flavor, making it incredibly tasty. It pairs wonderfully with cold beer, making it a great choice for casual gatherings or a light meal! Plus, it gets even better when left overnight, so you can enjoy it the next day too.

This side dish is more like a salad or an appetizer. I thought this might make a dish to serve between the main dishes.For the umeboshi, I used homemade ones with low salt content (10%).Mayonnaise makes it like salad. Recipe by Mimato

The way to reduce the pungent taste is by cutting at right angles and contact with air. I tried it and it is very effective.By cutting the onion at right angles, it kills the cell and put the pungent component in front. And by spreading in basket on contacting with air blows the pungent taste away. Also the sourness of umeboshi helps to shade off the pungent taste. Recipe by Tanshin funin no ryourinin

I came up with this new dish by combining an idea from a recipe from my reliable Cookpad mate, "tomimo" with one of my own recipes.Toss the ingredients in the dressing right before serving. While it also tastes good tender, it will be a bit watery. Adjust the amount of umeboshi depending on the type you use. Recipe by Chikori mama

This is the recipe that is the basis for "Chicken Tender and Cucumber Shira-ae with Umeboshi Flavor". I didn't think it was worth posting as a separate recipe, but putting it in one recipe made it too long so I separated the recipe.I used honey marinated umeboshi that weigh about 15 g with the pits (the same ones I used forto make "Chicken Tender and Cucumber Shira-ae with Umeboshi Flavor"). Adjust the amount to your taste.This is delicious with the addition of julienned green shiso leaves mixed in or topped as a garnish. Recipe by Sabumochi

I found this recipe on www.allrecipes.co.uk.

I used to eat this quite frequently when I was at my parent's place. I think my father came up with this dish.Use just a bit of the soy sauce since the umeboshi and shirasu is already pretty salty. Recipe by Setsubunhijiki

I like to eat the tomatoes as an appetizer. Umeboshi gives this a delightfully refreshing taste.Depending on the saltiness of the umeboshi, add salt or soy sauce to taste.Try this recipe with cherry tomatoes or regular-sized tomatoes.Substitute the dashi for mentsuyu if you like.The soup also goes well with somen (thin wheat) noodles. Top with wakame or sliced okra! For 3-4 servings. Recipe by marimari kitchen

Since I love the combination of umeboshi and miso, I tried it out on pounded cucumber.It's best to use unsweetened umeboshi. If left sitting for too long, this will become watery, so serve as soon as you mix in the seasoning. It has 53 kcal per serving. Recipe by LazyHata

Japanese pickled plums is salt-preserved food. I recommend making it on a 15% ratio (300g salt and 2kg plums) so that they will stay good and last long for years at room temperature. We start making this when you see plums begin to be on the market. While the plums are being pickled, red shiso leaves begin to be on the market. When the rainy season is over, it's time to get the plums out from the jar and sun dry them. Making homemade umeboshi in Japan is always with feeling the change of the seasons.

This dish is great for those times when you need one more dish but you don't have enough time nor ingredients.I came up with this idea just at such a moment and used what I could find in the refrigerator.Honestly, it only takes 3 minutes to make. Easy, but an authentic taste.The tartness of salt-cured plum (umeboshi) is great in this recipe. If using sweet honey-soaked umeboshi, replace the mirin with an equivalent amount of Japanese noodle dipping sauce.Use mentsuyu (Japanese noodle dipping sauce) that's been concentrated about 3-4 times.Adjust the quantity to your liking. Recipe by Ichigoaporo

I made this when I was out of dressing. It was really good, so I've been relying on it ever since.This is also good with mizuna greens or green bell peppers instead of cucumber.If you leave it standing for too long the tofu will start to exude moisture, so I recommend making it just before you plan to eat it. For 2 servings. Recipe by naganyo

I had leftover chrysanthemum greens when I bought too much for a hot pot, and didn't want them to go bad. I wanted to test to see whether the sourness of umeboshi would eliminate the bitterness of the chrysanthemum greens. It came out tasty, so now I always make this dish when we have hot pot, or the day after.Be sure to drain the excess water from the chrysanthemum greens. This is also tasty with a bit of mayonnaise. For 2 servings. Recipe by katana1100

My mother-in-law taught me that adding umeboshi removes the fishy smell, and make the dish refreshing and delicious.I season it a little bit sweet, taking the saltiness of the umeboshi into consideration, but please adjust it to your liking. Recipe by GELUGUGU

My husband loves old fashioned, salty and sour umeboshi, and will eat several at a time. I was worried that he was getting too much sodium, so I make these homemade ones with drastically reduced salt every year.I buy a thick, large, brand new/never used before food-safe poly bag to make the umeboshi, so there's no need to sterilize anything and you don't need to worry about mold. Anyone can make this reduced-salt umeboshi this way. If you divide up the umeboshi into less than 1.5 kg batches, you can use the largest size of ziplock bags. Reduced salt umeboshi are tastiest when consumed within a year of making them, so make just as much as you'll eat within that time. Recipe by olive11

I love the combination of sardines and umeboshi. Umeboshi makes the bones and meat tender. The backbone is hard to eat, but you can eat the small bones.If you have pickled red shiso leaves with umeboshi, add to the simmer. It will be tasty as well. After simmering the sardines, umeboshi and red shiso leaves adds a concentrated flavor, but it goes well with rice. Recipe by Pukuttopukumaru

My neighbor gave me a load of cabbage and I wanted to make it into a refreshing salad, so I came up with this recipe.Be sure to soak the chopped cabbage in water to crisp it up. Recipe by Akoyu

I had a salad at a pasta restaurant and I loved the Japanese omelet topping, so I asked for the recipe. I came up with the amount of the ingredients.I heard that umeboshi plums act as a preservative. Recipe by Yushuna

I had a lot of umeboshi that someone had given to us that were too salty to eat. I wanted to eat slightly sweet, vanilla scented hoshi ume like that ones you can buy, so I made these.Pancake syrup often has added aromas, so they will be transferred to the umeboshi. The marinating syrup is sweet-sour and slightly salty and delicious, so I am contemplating how to use it too. Recipe by Okarichan

I thought up a new way to use my freshly pickled umeboshi from this year.I suggest using a thick chikuwa since they give a nice texture. Recipe by Snow*Love

I learned the basic pickling method from my mother, but my friend taught me how to make reduced salt umeboshi.-Until the liquid comes up to the top, there is a risk of mold growth, so shake the jar everyday to dissolve the salt to immerse the ume plums in the liquid as quickly as possible.-If you live in an area with very high humidity and high temperature, and if it's difficult to control the condition of umeboshi, make them with about 14 % salt. Recipe by Yuuyuu0221

This is a no-oil added dish that's good when you're on a diet.You can add shiitake or shimeji mushrooms for more volume without adding calories. It's great for bentos, but as time passes the color will darken a bit. Green shiso dressing matches well with it, too! For 4 servings. Recipe by Tamochan

I mixed cucumbers with konbu-cha to prepare instant pickles, but I thought it might also make a good little appetizer if I also added garlic.Water will come out of the cucumbers over time, so mix in the konbu-cha and garlic just before serving. Recipe by Poron526

My friend was eating okra dipped in mayonnaise so I tried making a more refined version.I use extremely salty homemade umeboshi.Adjust the taste according to your preference. Recipe by *Yuki*

Easy to make with the ingredients you already have at home.October 23rd, 2012Thanks for introduction in the Yahoo JP Spot Light.There is nothing much to say because it's very easy to make, but adjust the amount as you like. It's good to sprinkle nori on top.PS: It's also delicious without the canned nametake mushrooms, but add salt to the other ingredients to adjust the saltiness and try adding 1 teaspoon of mirin to sweeten. For 2 servings. Recipe by putimiko

I had an odd amount of bamboo and fuki left over, so I tried making this together with the umeboshi in the fridge. It's a light taste for warm spring days.Don't let it boil too strongly. Cook on medium to low heat. If it boils too much, the fuki will be discolored. Use light-colored soy sauce. I modified the amounts a bit. Recipe by Akkonee

Pen Pen (my 4-year-old) says that cucumbers are too tough to chew... hard to relate for us adults. So, I attempted to recreate a pounded cucumber recipe that I tried once at a Japanese pub! For kids, I omit the garlic and ginger. I had Pen Pen pound the cucumber with a rolling pin. The cucumbers had a different texture that was apparently refreshing.When serving to adults, I recommend 1/2 a clove grated garlic and a touch of grated ginger...Increasing the salt content may help to prevent heat exhaustion. Recipe by Penpen mama

I bought some fresh sardines. Of the ten I bought, I used 6 for sashimi, and the rest in this recipe.To tell whether sardines are fresh, look for a taut body, well-defined, glossy scales, and black eyes.They're prone to breaking or falling apart when transferring to a serving plate, so try the process listed in Step 6.It's pretty easy. Give it a try!! Recipe by kumayuki