Wakame and Tuna Vinegar Salad (Elementary School Portion)
【小学校】わかめとツナの酢の物 · Wakame to Tsuna no Sunomono
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
Sunomono is the Japanese family of small vinegared side dishes, and this one pairs soft wakame seaweed and thin cucumber rounds with canned tuna. The tuna and a little sesame oil round off the tang of the vinegar, so even children who are wary of sour flavors tend to clean their plates. In school kitchens we cook the vegetables briefly in the microwave and chill everything separately, then toss it together right before it goes out, so the salad stays crisp instead of turning watery.
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 elementary school, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 2.1 gdried cut wakameDried seaweed pieces that rehydrate in a few minutes in water or soup. Substitute: Other dried seaweed such as dulse, or omit.
- 48.8 gcucumber
- 22.2 gcanned tuna (in oil)
Seasonings
- 2.3 gsugar
- 0.3 gsalt
- 1.7 gsoy sauce
- 5.6 gvinegar
- 2.6 gsesame oil
- 0.8 gwhite sesame seeds
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- dried cut wakame (乾燥カットわかめ)
- Dried seaweed pieces that rehydrate in a few minutes in water or soup. Substitute: Other dried seaweed such as dulse, or omit.
Directions
- 1
Put the seasoning ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, stir to combine, and microwave uncovered at 1200W for about 15 to 20 seconds. Let cool, then chill in the refrigerator.
- 2
Soak the wakame in water for 5 minutes to rehydrate. Cut the cucumber into thin rounds and drain the oil from the tuna.
- 3
Drain the wakame in a colander, then put it in a microwave-safe bowl with the cucumber and toss lightly. Add enough water (not included in the ingredient amounts) to cover about one third of the vegetables. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, leaving a gap for steam to escape, and microwave at 1200W for about 1 minute. Tip into a colander and rinse under cold running water to cool.
- 4
Squeeze the vegetables firmly to wring out the water (they release liquid once dressed, so squeeze a little harder than usual). Add the tuna and chill in the refrigerator.
- 5
Just before serving, toss with the dressing and the white sesame seeds.
The vegetables release liquid once the dressing is added, so chill the vegetables and the dressing separately in the refrigerator and combine them just before eating. Microwave times vary with the amount you are making, so keep an eye on things and adjust as needed.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 106.5 kcal | 213 kcal | 106.5 kcal |
| Protein | 4.9 g | 9.9 g | 4.9 g |
| Fat | 7.8 g | 15.6 g | 7.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.9 g | 9.9 g | 4.9 g |
| Fiber | 1.5 g | 3 g | 1.5 g |
| Salt equivalent | 1.2 g | 2.4 g | 1.2 g |
| Calcium | 40.5 mg | 81 mg | 40.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Potassium | 168 mg | 336 mg | 168 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 106.5 kcal | 4.9 g | 7.8 g | 4.9 g | 1.5 g | 1.2 g | 40.5 mg | 0.3 mg | 168 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 213 kcal | 9.9 g | 15.6 g | 9.9 g | 3 g | 2.4 g | 81 mg | 0.6 mg | 336 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese elementary-school 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.
This is the elementary-school portion of Wakame and Tuna Sunomono (Vinegared Salad) (larger quantities, same method).
