I realized I was starting all my summer salads with this combination of ingredients. Something about the whole being much better than the sum of its parts is applicable here. It's a fresh and definitely-summer flavor that's sweet and tangy; this mixture should be added to whatever is fresh near you. Don't use store-bought produce for this unless it's really from nearby...you need the very fresh flavors that directly buying from farmers gets you. Use your hands to mix, massage and toss, I really think this is a big part of getting the quantities and mixing right. You'll be able to feel when you need more liquid, and fingers are the best at combining ingredients without letting them fall out of a bowl. The quantities are pretty loose on purpose, but I think the proportions are accurate. Scale up or down as you need. However, the size of the cuts are actually critical to making this into the best possible start of a salad--you need the peppers and cucumbers to exude juice, and all these ingredients need to be spread throughout the rest of the salad. The juice that comes from the vegetables makes a fantastic dressing, but you may want to reinforce the final salad, depending on how big you're trying to make this, with more oil, salt, pepper, and vinegar. A little strong-flavored sesame or squash seed oil is a fine idea, especially if you've found shiso leaves. And yes, raw corn. If you must, or if you have leftover, you can use cooked corn.

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