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Duke It Out With Heat And Stay Cool As Cuke

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 4, 2008

On a hot 'n' sticky day, what could be more appealing than a cool, color-me-skinny salad featuring thin cuts of spicy radish, crunchy carrot and seedless cukes?

Dressed in tartly sweet vinaigrette with a flourish of nutty roasted sesame seeds, this is the diva version of sunomono, a Japanese vinegary salad served as a starter or condiment at your favorite sushi bar.

Cucumbers star in this cool dish. Go for seedless cukes, also referred to as European or hothouse cucumbers. Gracing the grocer's shelves sleekly wrapped in plastic, they are perfect to carry along just about anywhere - to brandish boldly in the face of those hotter 'n hades Florida summer days.

And because the plastic replaces that pesky wax coating, there's no need to peel these beauties. Just grab a sharp knife and give them a quick, never-too-thin slice.

Thanks to the sushi craze, roasted sesame seeds are available wherever prepared sushi or sushi fixings are sold at the local supermarket. For entertaining, black sesame seeds, found in Asian markets, give your presentation an edge.

Try sunomono with grilled salmon, seared ahi tuna steaks or decadent burgers made with Kobe beef - easy, breezy and cool-as-a-cucumber.

SKINNY SUNO-MAMA

1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon sesame oil, preferably toasted

1 seedless cucumber, sliced as thinly as possible

1 carrot, julienned

1 cup radishes, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, or more to taste

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, salt and sesame oil. Add the cucumber, carrot and radishes, and toss with the sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Anne-Marie Hodges and Pam Brandon can be reached at divas@culinaryconfessions.net.

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