Here are four different variations of sunomono. All of the recipes use the same vinegar sauce and start with the same basic ingredients, cucumber, wakame, Japanese ginger, and sesame seeds. If you do not have Japanese ginger, you can make it without, or substitute a small slice of lemon, some chopped shiso leaf, or other herbs to create your own unique flavor.

Although this recipe calls for Japanese cucumber to be used, any cucumber can be used in its place. Japanese cucumber is smaller around than typical American cucumbers, so when using American cucumbers you should use 1 cucumber for every two Japanese cucumbers, and cut the cucumber in half, lengthwise, before slicing.

The recipe also calls for rice vinegar, mirin (which is a Japanese sweetener), dashi-soy sauce, and wakame, which are all readily available at any Asian grocery store or online through Amazon.  You can also make your own dashi-soy (see the notes below).