Zucchini salad

I have never thought about eating raw zucchini until I came to Japan. I saw Japanese people have it here and there in their recipes, so I think it is nice to try. The result turns out awesome. It is crispy and tender at the same time, and it has less water than cucumber so it can be a nice substitute if cucumber brings too much water to your plate. Th recipe below is for 1 zucchini:

Step 1: Cut the zucchini in half, then slice diagonally along its length. Do not slice too thick and also not too thinly.

Step 2: Sprinkle some salt over the sliced zucchini and mix. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Squeeze excess water out of zucchini, then mix with 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of sugar, 1/2 tbsp of water, and 2 tbsp of roasted seasame seeds. Let the mixture rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

You can add some fresh red chili pepper for more colors (and if you like adding hot spice).

Zucchini can also be amazing with somtum sauce. Instead of using green papaya, you can use zucchini. In the dish below, I use zucchini, onion and tomato, mixed with somtum sauce. It was incredibly delicious! 

You can be creative with your own zucchini salad. Cheers!