Potato salad has been a popular dish in Japan for at least 125 years, first created as a version of the Olivier Salad. Japanese potato salad may vary from home to home, but it has a few key elements that distinguish it from American or German potato salad. It isn’t made with vinegar, it is creamier with the potatoes almost mashed, and it is made with Japanese-style mayonnaise.
On the Ingredients
- Potatoes are starchy root vegetables first cultivated in the Peru/Bolivia region at least 2,500 years ago. Today, they’re a staple all over the world. Potatoes contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, though it’s important to note that much of those are in the skin, so peeling potatoes will reduce that amount of healthful components. Potatoes are incredibly versatile and can be used in a wide range of dishes from cuisines all over the globe.
- Cucumbers are a great vegetable for salads, with their crisp texture, clean flavor, and high water content. They’re low in calories but high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (more on the health benefits). For this recipe, we recommend using English or European cucumbers (the long ones), which are a little crisper than slicing cucumbers.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
For a vegan version of this recipe, use vegenaise instead of the mayo and leave out the boiled eggs.
Japanese Potato Salad
12
servings30
minutes20
minutes50
minutesPotato salad has been a popular dish in Japan for at least 125 years, first created as a version of the Olivier Salad. Japanese potato salad may vary from home to home, but it has a few key elements that distinguish it from American or German potato salad. It isn’t made with vinegar, it is creamier with the potatoes almost mashed, and it is made with Japanese-style mayonnaise.
Ingredients
- Potato Salad Ingredients
5 large golden potatoes
3 large carrots
1 European cucumber
1 tsp salt + more to taste
black pepper to taste
1/4 red onion
1 cup frozen corn
3 hard-boiled eggs
- Mayonnaise Ingredients
1 egg yolk
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/3 cup safflower or canola oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar OR monkfruit
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
Directions
- To make the mayonnaise, it’s helpful to have two people, one to pour the oil and one to whisk. The secret to a good mayo is a fresh egg yolk, a thin stream of oil, and a vigorous whisk. Put the egg yolk and vinegar in a clean, dry bowl. Begin to whisk vigorously while a thin, steady stream (just a drizzle) of oil is poured into the bowl.
- It will take about a minute before you can tell if the mayo is emulsifying and thickening the way it should. If it’s still soupy after a minute, it will not emulsify properly, and you should start over. If it is thickening correctly, continue to drizzle the oil while whisking until you have about 2/3 cup of mayonnaise.
- Add the sesame oil, sweetener, Dijon, and salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
- Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces (1-2”). Peel the carrots and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Put the carrots and potatoes in a large pot of water with a bit of salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 8-10 minutes until you can pierce the potato with a fork and it breaks in half.
- Drain the veggies and rinse with cold water until they stop steaming.
- Separate the carrots and set them aside. While the potatoes are still warm, mash them, leaving some large chunks whole.
- Cut the cucumbers into very thin slices. Put the slices into a bowl and sprinkle with a tsp of salt. Mix the slices, massaging the salt into each piece using your fingers. Let them sit for 10 minutes. Using your hands, squeeze the cucumber slices to remove the excess water.
- Thinly slice the red onion and chop the hard-boiled eggs. Boil the corn for a minute and drain, rinsing with cold water. In a large salad bowl, combine the potatoes, carrots, cucumber, red onion, eggs, and corn. Add mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve and enjoy!
