Sunomono (Japanese cucumber and wakame salad)

Combine rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk until the sugar dissolves completely; remove from the heat and let cool.

Soak the dried wakame in water to rehydrate, 5 minutes; squeeze out the liquid and add to a medium bowl.

Peel the cucumbers leaving some skin on in stripes, then slice thinly.

Sprinkle the slices with salt, massage it in gently and set aside 5 minutes.

Squeeze the liquid out of the cucumbers and add them to the bowl; add the dressing and sesame seeds and toss to combine.

Serve in individual bowls or a large serving bowl.

variation: add thinly sliced boiled octopus, imitation crab or crab meat, or boiled baby anchovies.