Steps

1. Wash 1 large sweet potato to remove any dirt. No need to dry it completely.
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2. Wrap the sweet potato completely in aluminum foil. (Key Tip!) Leaving a little moisture on the surface will ensure a moist texture after steaming.
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3. Bake the sweet potato in a preheated oven at 200°C (392°F) for 1 hour.
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4. After 1 hour, carefully remove the sweet potato from the oven, flip it over, and bake for another hour. (Key Tip!) Flipping halfway through ensures even heat distribution for uniformly cooked results.
   🕒 01:36
5. Prepare 1 cucumber and perform 'board rubbing' (itazuri) to remove any grassy smell. Take some salt in your hands and rub it all over the cucumber, then gently massage.
   🕒 01:53
6. Rinse off the salt and pat the cucumber dry.
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7. Trim the ends off the cucumber and slice thinly using a slicer or a knife. (Key Tip!) If you don't have a slicer, you can stabilize it by cutting it in half lengthwise and then slicing thinly with the heel of your knife.
   🕒 02:41
8. Place the thinly sliced cucumber in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and 2 pinches of sugar, then mix and let it sit to draw out excess moisture. (Key Tip!) Thoroughly squeezing out moisture with salt prevents the salad from becoming watery over time.
   🕒 03:09
9. Carefully hold the baked sweet potato with kitchen paper or a towel to avoid burns, and cut it into 3 equal pieces for easier peeling.
   🕒 04:29
10. Using a knife, hold the skin and pull downwards; the skin should peel off smoothly. (Key Tip!) The skin peeling off easily is a sign that the sweet potato is fully cooked.
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11. Lay the peeled sweet potato on its side and roughly chop it into about 3cm (1.2 inch) pieces.
    🕒 05:33
12. Further cut the chopped sweet potato into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl.
    🕒 05:46
13. Add 10g of Parmesan cheese to the bowl with the sweet potato.
    🕒 06:03
14. Add 3 tbsp of mayonnaise and mix gently without mashing the sweet potato too much, ensuring it's evenly coated.
    🕒 06:09
15. Squeeze the salt-cured cucumber firmly with kitchen paper to remove all excess water. (Key Tip!) Squeezing out the water here is crucial to prevent the salad from becoming soggy.
    🕒 06:33
16. Add the drained cucumber to the bowl with the sweet potato and mix lightly.
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17. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt to enhance the flavors (approximately 2 pinches of salt as a guideline).
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18. Transfer to a serving dish.
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19. Finish by generously sprinkling with black pepper. It's ready!
    🕒 08:00