Daikon and Cucumber Salad with Shio Koji 大根ときゅうりの塩麹和え

To continue with the “light and healthy” theme for the new year, today I want to share my recipe for Daikon and Cucumber Salad with Shio Koji (大根ときゅうりの塩麹和え). It’s a quick and easy side dish that takes just 5 minutes of prep time. While this salad rests in the fridge for 45 minutes, you can prepare the other dishes in your meal.

This refreshing and crunchy salad is perfect for cleansing your palate between dishes. I also love making this healthy side dish during summertime, as it beautifully complements many Japanese grilled dishes. Think yakitori or BBQ chicken wings!

What is Shio Koji?

The magic condiment I’ve used today is shio koji (塩麴), a traditional natural seasoning used in Japan for centuries to marinate and tenderize foods and enhance the umami, or savory flavor, of any dish.

Shio koji is made by fermenting a mixture of salt, water, and rice koji. This live food is rich in enzymes that break down the starches and proteins in food into sugars and amino acids.

Shio koji has experienced a huge resurgence in popularity in Japan recently as a versatile seasoning, tenderizer, and pickling agent. Why not use one ingredient for multiple purposes?

What is Rice Koji?

Rice koji (米こうじ, 米糀, 米麹) is steamed rice treated with koji mold spores (Aspergillus oryzae, koji-kin 麹菌, or koji starter). Koji is a specific strain of mold that has been cultured over the centuries in Japan.

You may wonder why we make rice moldy on purpose. Most likely, you’ve already eaten koji! It’s the key ingredient to make miso, soy sauce, sake, mirin, rice vinegar, amazake, shochu, and today’s star ingredient, shio koji.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• daikon radish – peeled
• Japanese or Persian cucumbers – or use English cucumber with the seeds removed
• carrots – julienned
• shio koji – I used Hikari Miso Shio Koji; you can also make homemade shio koji; you could substitute 2 tsp kosher salt, but your dressing will lack umami
• rice vinegar (unseasoned)
• toasted sesame oil
• red chili (chopped; seeds removed, if you prefer less spicy

Jump to Recipe

How to Make Daikon and Cucumber Salad

1. Cut the daikon and cucumber using the rangiri Japanese cutting technique.
2. Add the vegetables and seasonings to a resealable plastic bag.
3. Rub the vegetables from outside the bag to distribute the seasonings well. Remove the air from the bag.
4. Chill in the refrigerator for 45–60 minutes for the best flavor.
5. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Where to Get Shio Koji

For today’s recipe, I’m using Hikari Miso’s Shio Koji All-Purpose Seasoning. When added to my salad dressing, shio koji gives this crisp salad a nice balance of salty, vinegary, and sweet flavors. 

Hikari Miso products are available in Japanese grocery stores and on Amazon.

Shio koji is quite simple to make yourself. See my recipe for how to make shio koji at home.

Shio Koji in Japanese and Western Cooking

You can use shio koji in any kind of Japanese or Western cooking. Use it as a marinade for chicken, beef, pork, and fish. You can make non-Japanese pickles and Japanese pickles (tsukemono) with it. This all-purpose ingredient is also a wonderful seasoning for your vegetables and mashed potatoes.

Shio koji makes a good salt substitute and it’s what I use in my Braised Herb Chicken recipe. In a recipe that calls for salt, simply substitute 1 teaspoon of salt with 2 teaspoons of shio koji.

What to Serve with Daikon and Cucumber Salad

Enjoy this quick salad on a hot summer day. Serve it with grilled dishes like:

• Yakitori (Grilled Chicken and Scallion Skewers)
• Traeger Baby Back Ribs
• Reverse-Sear Steak
• Yakitori-style Grilled Vegetable Skewers
• Tsukune (Japanese Chicken Meatball Skewers)
• Teppanyaki

Other Recipes with Shio Koji

• Shio Koji Chicken
• Shio Koji Salmon
• Shio Koji Yakisoba
• Shio Koji Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
• Yakisoba with Shio Koji
• Simmered Kabocha with Shio Koji
• Pickled Daikon with Shio Koji