Kyuri Japanese cucumber

Cucumis sativus

Kyuri has a crispy and juicy texture, thin skin and is mostly eaten raw in Japanese cooking. In Chinese cooking, it is also cooked. Kyuri is known to remove heat from the body -- a perfect summer vegetable. While it is mostly water (over 95%), kyuri does contain Vitamin C, carotene and potassium. Potassium promotes discharge of sodium from the body, and thus is effective for prevention of high blood pressure. Cucurbitacin, the substance that makes kyuri skin bitter, is said to control cancer cell growth.

When selecting kyuri, buy firm ones with dark green skin. Kyuri has a prickly skin, and the sharper the prickles are, the fresher it is.

14 kcal/100 g; 95.4% water, 1.0% protein, 0.1% fat, 3.0% carbohydrate, 0.5% ash

Recipes with kyuri

• Hiyajiru / steamed barley rice with cold sesame-miso soup with cucumber and grilled fish
• Kyuri to kinshitamago no osuimono / clear soup with Japanese cucumber and julienned egg crepe
  
• Kyuri to kosai no nanpura-ae / cucumber and cilantro in nam pla dressing
  
• Ebi to kyuri no itamemono / stir-fried shrimp and Japanese cucumber 
• Hotate no midorizu-ae / sea scallops with cucumber vinegar dressing
• Kyuri to kani no shoga-amazu-ae / Japanese cucumber and crab in ginger-flavored sweetened vinegar
  
• Kyuri to nagaimo no shoga-amazu-ae / Japanese cucumber and Chinese yam in ginger-flavored sweetened vinegar
• Nasu to kyuri, myoga no sunomono / Japanese eggplant, cucumber and ginger bud in rice vinegar dressing
  
• Kyuri to benibana no sunomono / Japanese cucumber and safflower in sweetened rice vinegar 
  
• Uzaku / grilled eel and cucumber in light broth with sweetened vinegar
• Kyuri to gyuniku no sarada / Japanese cucumber and beef salad
• Kyuri no umeae / Japanese cucumber with umeboshi pickled plum
• Temakizushi / hand-rolled sushi
• Kyuri no shiomomi, shiso iri / Japanese cucumber instant pickle, with green perilla leaf
• Kyuri to atsuage no pirikaraae / Japanese cucumber and deep-fried tofu with ginger and spicy soy sauce
• Jabara kyuri no pirikarazuke / Japanese cucumber with tobanjan dressing

Try kyuri in the following recipes

• Yakinasu, atsuage to ebi no raisunuudoru sarada / rice noodles with grilled eggplant, deep-fried tofu and shrimp salad
  
• Kuzukiri to daikon, kani no sarada / kudzu arrowroot starch noodle, daikon radish and crabmeat salad, with citrus-flavored soy sauce dressing
  
• Daikon no shiso soosu-ae / daikon radish salad with green perilla dressing 
• Zukkiini no shami-ae / zucchini with Chinese dried shrimp  
  

(Last updated: June 27, 2018)