You won’t catch me going on about the heat. Well, not complaining at least, though if it’s hot, I do tend to state the obvious rather a lot. I think of it more as a way to remind myself of my good fortune in finding myself sweating rather than shivering. It may also be because I have a habit of repeating myself rather a lot, one of my more charming qualities I’m sure everyone will agree.
Nevertheless, despite my love for summer, the heat naturally changes one’s appetite and I avoid a jaded palate by eating lots of sour and cold things; hiyashichuuka, my favourite way to eat cold noodles closely followed by soba, salads like somtum and also carrot, feta and harissa salad, hiyayakko and if I do I want something hot, stir-fried things.
Being not only prone to repetition but also frugal (just call me nana) I was scrabbling around trying to think of a way to use up a lone cucumber before we went away and spying some umeboshi looking neglected, I decided to make this cucumber and umeboshi salad and it wasn’t half bad, even if I do say so myself, not to mention rather pretty with the flecks of pink ume nestled amongst the refreshingly green cukes.
What do you eat when the mercury is rising?
Cucumber and Ume Salad
2 soft umeboshi
2 tablespoons dashi made with 1 teaspoon granules (use water and more salt for a vegetarian option)
2 teaspoons shoyu
2 teaspoons mirin
1 telegraph cucumber
1 teaspoon salt
Pit the umeboshi and mince finely.
Shake together with the dashi, shoyu and mirin in a jar.
Halve the cucumber lengthwise and then slice thinly into half moons.
Salt the cucumbers by tossing them in a bowl with the salt, leaving for 5 mnutes and rinsing and draining in a colander.
Toss the cucumbers in the dressing and serve.
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Looks delicious and perfect for a hot day! Although I don’t think I have ever eaten umeboshi!
I’ve seen umeboshi around and always wanted to get to know it, but sadly we are not yet friends. I think this salad may just be the ticket to get us introduced. Looks yum, as always.
You can get these hard ones which aren’t good for the salad, try and get the soft ones…Hope you like them x
Thanks, I hope so too. They look so pretty!
I’ll have to try this! I can imagine the sour umeboshi would go well with cucumber!
That’s such a great way of using umeboshi! This summer we had a heatwave in London and I was eating a lot of cucumber sunomono (I just mixed the cukes with vinegar, sugar and a bit of chilli). And also lots of hiyashichuuka and zaru soba too!
Sunomono! I love that too, must make some, thanks for the reminder ^_^
Well., there you go. I too am not yet friends or even acquaintances of umeboshi, I vaguely think I knew about it though…, maybe !! But, I think I’d like to try this little number when the mercury rises to something closer to double figures :)
Fave hot weather foods for me come in liquid forms. I’ll blend just about anything with ice cubes to get in the energy but not involve too much prep or standing near stoves …., well, maybe not anything :) but certainly anything that ‘sounds cool’ and give it a go.
aaahhhh its the simple things in life…
well when its too hot it is not so much that I can’t eat greasy and fatty foods, its more the fact thatI feel too hot to cook… to be in the kitchen for too long that is…
Hiyashichukka is a favorite but I can’t find fresh noodles in Greece.. so we make somen..lots of it! and salads.. lots of salads!!
This is excellent! Very good for my waistline too! Hahhahaa :P
What a wonderful recipe! Your salads are always so inspiring and the photos here make me drool. Well, I’m happy to say that Berlin is fairly grey and wet right now but when it’s hot, I love granita, water flavoured with lemons or cucumber and radicchio salads. Hope you’re well and are enjoying the summer.
Mmmm… made a quick rice vinegar/salt/sugar pickle the other day, but love the addition of shoyu and umeboshi here. Hello, more cucumbers! Lovely shot…
You are so innovative Sasa! I was wondering what those pretty pink flecks were in the salad dressing! Ume plums-how clever! :)
your salad looks nom nom. but to answer your question, I eat ice cream when it’s hot. I also eat it when it’s cold though. and in Antartica, I would totally sit there with an ice cream watching the sunset that never ever happens.
Word out. I love cucumbers, both as a tsukemono or a salad like yours. When its hot (we have record breaking temperatures in Tokyo, 38-39C :o ) I love to have hiyashi udon or so-men. You might be familiar with those. :D
When it’s hot our I love cucumber salads. Often I just toss cucumbers with sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. I love the idea of umeboshi and cucmbers. Yum!
Also a great refreshing salad- I make it too ^_^
That is such a good thing to do with the old umeboshi! I guess you know they are a cure for a hangover so we NEVER get any old ones in this house.
I can imagine!
The hot days are done here, but I still can’t get over this salad. I just love everything about this post – the food, the photographs and your wonderful writer’s voice. xox
I can’t wait to try this! I just discovered your beautiful site through the haafu facebook page. I’m half japanese also and always looking for japanese recipes (especially using umeboshi) :)
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