Japanese Cucumber & Radish Sunomono with Fava Beans and Wakame 日式涼拌小黃瓜沙拉佐蠶豆與海帶芽

This is a salad that I actually have been meaning to share with you for a long time! Thanks to my dear friend, who gave me these beautiful Japanese Koransha ceramic dishes last year, which gave me the idea to use them and write this recipe. It's one of my favourites and is something I make very often during the summertime. It's basically inspired by the traditional Japanese sunomono, which is often made with cucumbers or cucumber and wakame in vinegar and soy sauce. You can find it in most Japanese restaurants. It's actually quite easy to make at home, and it's the perfect appetizer or accompaniment for any Asian food. In this recipe, I added some radishes and fava beans, which contain a good amount of protein, vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants to make this traditional dish even more nutritious. The dressing is slightly tangy and sweet, and with the different textures of the vegetables, everything just ties together nicely!

Simple Pickled Butternut Squash 涼拌冬南瓜絲

In Taiwan, I grew up eating a lot of pickles as condiments or as appetizers, especially in the summer, since most pickles are refreshing and cooling. Unlike the western style of pickle, they're not always pickled in vinegar, nor are they always made over a long period of time. In fact, most of my mom's pickles were made within just thirty minutes to an hour. The pickles that you see most often in Taiwan are cucumbers, cabbages and radishes. My mom loves making different types of pickled cucumbers; sometimes she makes them with sea salt, sometimes with salted plums, both of which I love!