Chinese-Style Cucumber Salad
きゅうりの中華和え · Kyuri no Chuka-ae
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Chuka-ae is a Japanese family of "Chinese-style" dressed salads: crisp vegetables tossed in a dressing of sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce and a little sugar. In this preschool version, cucumber and wakame are joined by sweet corn and tuna, which makes it far more inviting to children than plain cucumber alone. The dressing is briefly heated to soften the sharpness of the vinegar, so even toddlers who shy away from anything too sour tend to clean their plates.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 45 gcucumber
- 0.5 gdried cut wakameSmall pieces of dried wakame seaweed that rehydrate in a few minutes and are used in soups and salads. Substitute: Any dried seaweed for soup, or omit.
- 7.5 gwhole kernel corn (canned or frozen)
- 9 gcanned tuna (in oil)
Seasonings
- 2.6 gsesame oil
- 2.6 gvinegar
- 1.7 gsoy sauce
- 1.2 gsugar
- 1.2 gwhite sesame seeds
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- dried cut wakame (カットわかめ)
- Small pieces of dried wakame seaweed that rehydrate in a few minutes and are used in soups and salads. Substitute: Any dried seaweed for soup, or omit.
Directions
- 1
Cut the cucumber into thin quarter-rounds. Soak the wakame in water to rehydrate it, then chop it finely. Boil the cucumber and wakame separately, then rinse under running water to cool.
- 2
Blanch the corn briefly and rinse under running water to cool (if the corn is not frozen, skip the heating and simply drain it). Drain the oil from the tuna.
- 3
Toast the white sesame seeds (optional). Combine the dressing ingredients and heat them to cook off the sharpness of the vinegar.
- 4
Squeeze the excess water out of the cucumber and wakame from step 1, then toss with the corn and tuna from step 2 and the dressing from step 3.
Toasting the sesame seeds brings out a nutty aroma that makes the vegetables easier for children to eat (you can skip this step to save time).
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 73.5 kcal | 147 kcal | 73.5 kcal |
| Protein | 2.8 g | 5.7 g | 2.8 g |
| Fat | 5.1 g | 10.2 g | 5.1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.4 g | 8.7 g | 4.4 g |
| Fiber | 1 g | 2.1 g | 1 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 31.5 mg | 63 mg | 31.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Potassium | 133.5 mg | 267 mg | 133.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 73.5 kcal | 2.8 g | 5.1 g | 4.4 g | 1 g | 0.6 g | 31.5 mg | 0.3 mg | 133.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 147 kcal | 5.7 g | 10.2 g | 8.7 g | 2.1 g | 1.2 g | 63 mg | 0.6 mg | 267 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
