Why This Recipe Works?
Adding a variety of vegetables, such as cucumbers, onions, and carrots, gives this potato salad a variety of textures and tastes, making each mouthful a surprise. Salting the cucumbers and onions gives them a crunchy texture while removing excess water from the vegetables. Cooking the potatoes until tender helps the edges melt into the dressing, giving this salad a creamier texture while ensuring each bite is well seasoned. Using sushi vinegar in the dressing balances out the creamy richness of the mayonnaise while giving the salad the perfect balance between sweet, sour, and savory tastes.
Ingredients
Potatoes - I recommend using a starchy variety, such as Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, as these tend to melt into the dressing better. However, this salad will also work with waxy potatoes like fingerlings or red bliss. Carrots - Carrots get cooked with the spuds, offering a pop of color and natural sweetness to the potato salad. Cucumber - Salted cucumbers add a refreshing crunch to the rich potato salad. I recommend using a tender-skinned variety without many seeds, such as Japanese cucumbers, Lebanese cucumbers, Persian cucumbers, or English cucumbers. Corn is another popular addition to this salad. Onion - Finely diced onions provide a crispy texture and mild onion flavor to the potato salad. Salting them mellows the harshness of the raw onions. You can substitute red onions or scallions here. Ham - provides a savory and slightly salty element that complements the creamy spuds and sweet vegetables. Any cooked cured meat, such as bacon, spam, or turkey ham, will work here. Just be aware that different cured meats will have different amounts of salt, so you may need to adjust the amount to compensate. Mayonnaise - forms the basis of the dressing, and I recommend using a Japanese-style mayonnaise such as Kewpie brand. Japanese mayo has a more pronounced egg flavor that’s similar to homemade. If you can’t find it, you can substitute regular mayonnaise. Sushi Vinegar - Sushi vinegar is a Japanese condiment made of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt (recipe here). Its sweet, sour, and savory taste balances the creamy richness of the mayonnaise.
How to Make Japanese Potato Salad
Salting the cucumbers and onions takes the most time, so start by adding them to a bowl along with a generous pinch of salt. Toss the ingredients together to coat the vegetables evenly. The salt draws water out of the vegetables through osmosis and has three benefits: While the cucumber slices sweat, prepare the rest of the salad. Peel the spuds and cut them into one-inch cubes. Peel the carrots, quarter them lengthwise, and slice them into thin pieces. Place the vegetables in a pot and cover them with cold water, ensuring there’s about an inch of water above the vegetables. Bring the water to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle boil. Cooking the spuds until they are tender allows their edges to melt into the dressing later, giving the salad its characteristic creamy texture. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes. As the vegetables cook, prepare the dressing by mixing the mayonnaise and sushi vinegar in a large bowl and chop the ham. When the chunks of potatoes are tender enough to easily pass a toothpick through, drain them in a colander and shake off any excess water. While they are still hot, add the vegetables to the bowl with the mayonnaise mixture. Mix the vegetables into the dressing well. You don’t need to use a potato masher, but you do want to partially dissolve the spuds. Next, massage the cucumber and onion mixture with your hands to extract any remaining liquid. Squeeze out as much water as possible before adding to the salad. Finally, add the ham to the mixture and stir until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning with additional salt if needed.
Serve it With
Potato salad is a popular dish to serve alongside fried foods in Japan, and it’s often served alongside shredded cabbage salad. Serve it alongside Karaage, the crispy and juicy Japanese version of fried chicken. It’s also a great match for panko-breaded foods such as Tonkatsu, Chicken Katsu, and Ebi-fry (fried shrimp). Potato salad is also a common accompaniment for sweet and sour Chicken Nanban, a dish from my hometown in Miyazaki prefecture. Finally, if you’re into packing a bento box for lunch, try making this as a side dish for my Chicken Teriyaki Bento, Maple Miso chicken Bento, or Spam Onigiri.
How to Store Japanese Potato Salad
This classic side dish can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. This makes it an excellent make-ahead dish for parties, potlucks, and when you just need to get ahead in your week.
📖 Recipe
