One of the most famous comfort salad dishes in Japan is no doubt, potato salad which can be easily made at home and is delicious.
Yes, we have potato salad as same as the one in your culture.
Who doesn’t like the golden combination of starchy potatoes and Japanese savory mayo?
Common Ingredients
The ingredients between the Japanese version and your side version are pretty similar.
But they’re some differences in one way or another, the biggest difference is, Mayo, of course, can be the texture. The Japanese version is tangier, and also tends to include more vegetables and processed meat.
Japanese Mayo
Mayonnaise is a key that you can say ” Japanese potato salad”, right?
You can easily find Japanese mayo such as Kewpie or Kenko at Asian grocery stores and on Amazon.
I am sure that you’ll be obsessed with Japanese Mayo once you taste it, so I recommend switching your traditional mayo to Kewpie (or Kenko).
However, you can still make Japanese-style mayo while adding mild vinegar.
Indeed, Duke’s mayonnaise is not a bad choice as a substitute for Japanese mayo.
The Texture
Speaking of Japanese potato salad, it is often described as mashed, yes, potatoes should be fully mashed or half-mashed.
Besides, the Japanese prefer starchy potatoes rather than waxy potatoes so potato salad will be rich, starchy, creamy, and heavy salad.
When making Japanese potato salad, use starchy potatoes such as russet, Idaho, and Yukon gold potatoes.
How To Boil Potatoes In Japanese Cooking
After choosing starch potatoes, wash and rinse thoughtfully, and peel them.
As a restaurant-grade potato salad recipe, boil whole unpeeled potatoes, but, I prefer to peel and cut potatoes considering saving time and process.
I like half-mashed potato salad, so I cut potatoes in large sizes. However, you can slice them or cut them smaller when you want them to cook quickly or if you like the fully mashed ones.
Always start cooking the potatoes in cold water.
Also, add 1 tsp of salt and boil them without a lid.
It generally takes 10-15 minutes to allow the potatoes to a boil, check out by porking a piece with the fork.
Immediately, drain the water and place the potatoes back in the pot.
Shake the pot on the hot stove top (you can turn on the stove) really fast and continuously to remove the moisture. Shaking the pot should be really fast since the potatoes will burn.
It is called “Kofuki Imo” in Japanese and this technique is often used in Japanese cooking to avoid soggy potatoes.
Other Salad Ingredients
Since it is a simple classic Japanese potato salad recipe, let’s keep it simple: cucumbers, onions, and boiled eggs.
Another common cooking technique to remove moisture from sliced cucumber and sliced onions in Japanese cooking is salting.
Salting sliced onions can also remove the sharp spicy flavor of fresh onion.
In this recipe, soak sliced cucumbers and sliced onions together in salted water.
Squeeze the excess water out with your hands.
Also, processed meat such as smoked ham, Japanese winner sausage, and bacon are commonly added to the classic Japanese potato salad.
However, I skip them in my recipe.
Simple Is The Best Classic Japanese Potato Salad With Egg
Ingredients
- 2 lb Starchy potatoes, Russet, Idaho, Yukon gold potatoes
- 2 TSP Vinegar
- ¼-⅓ cup Japanese Mayonnaise, Kewpie, Kenko *1)
- 1 TSP Dijon mustard
- 3 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- ½ sweet or red onion,t hinly sliced
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, minced *2)
- salt & pepper to taste
- ½ cup your choice of ham/ bacon/ winner sausage *Optional
- water to boil potatoes
- 1 TSP salt
- 2 cups water to prepare sliced cucumbers and onions
- 1 TSP salt
Instructions
Cook The Potatoes
- Rinse potatoes thoughtfully. Peel and cut them into quarters or smaller sizes.
- Place potatoes in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover. Add 1 tsp of salt.
- Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, uncovered. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and put them back into the same pot immediately.
- Turn the heat on low to medium-low. Shake the pot continuously and remove excess water, about 1-2 minutes. Add 2 TSP of vinegar and partially mash the potatoes with the fork.Let mashed potatoes cool.
Prepare Other Ingredients
- (Remove excess water from cucumbers and remove the sharp flavor from onions) In a small bowl, add 2 cups of water and 1 tsp of salt. Mix well. Add cucumber and onion. Let them soak for 10 minutes. Squeeze the water out with your hands well.
- (Eggs) Cut hard-boiled eggs and set yalks aside. Mince the whites.
Make Potato Salad
- In a large bowl, place the mashed potatoes, cucumbers, onions, and eggs. Combine them well.
- Add ¼ mayonnaise and mustard and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. Taste the potato salad and add more condiments if needed.
- The salad can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
Video
Notes
How Long Does Homemade Potato Salad Last In A Fridge?
It should last for 3-4 days in a fridge.
Since Japanese potato salad contains much moisture such as boiled potatoes, fresh cucumber, and onions, try to consume it within 3 days, especially during the summer season.
When keeping the potato salad at room temperature, consume it during the day.
If you want your potato salad to last longer, switch the raw ingredients to cooked ingredients such as carrots, green peas, and others.
Use Up Leftover Potato Salad
Japanese Potato Salad Cheese Gyoza Dumplings With Square Wonton Wraps
You can’t wait for leftover potato salad that’s been turned into crispy potato cheese Gyoza dumplings. The options include deep-frying them or pan-frying them. It’s exactly as you imagine: crispy potato gyoza dumplings will be the perfect appetizer or snack!
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