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1
Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon.
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2
Cut up the cucumber into bite sized pieces. Bash them up a bit with the side of your kitchen knife - this allows the dressing to sink into them.
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3
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan, shaking occasionally, until a few seeds pop. Immediately transfer the seeds to a plate (if you leave them in the pan they may get burned).
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4
Mix the lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, dashi stock granules and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved. Taste, and add a pinch of salt if you think it needs it. Add the sesame oil (or you can just drizzle on the sesame oil when you assemble the salad).
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5
Combine the cucumbers with the dressing and the sesame seeds. Serve right away or leave to marinate in the refrigerator for a stronger flavor.
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6
Note: If you're using small Japanese cucumbers any other small, immature cucumber, you don't need to de-seed them. Just cut them up and bash a bit. (This bashing thing, is a real cooking method in Japanese cooking. It helps the flavors to penetrate the bashed up vegetable better.).
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7
If you use white balsamic vinegar instead of the rice or white wine vinegar, you can decrease or even omit the sugar.
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8
This sesame dressing is very versatile. Try it with any number of vegetables. It's great on a leafy green salad. You can increase the sesame oil if you want it to have a richer sesame flavor. Add some chili pepper flakes to make it spicy, and/or some grated garlic for a more Korean-tasting twist.Add some shredded poached chicken breast to the cucumbers for a more substantial salad.
