Japanese Potato Salad

I have always wished that the little dollop of potato salad in a Japanese bento were bigger. Since I was young, I much preferred the light, whipped, airy Japanese potato salad over the typical US picnic variety (doused in mayonnaise) or even the German kind, which was tart and mustard-y. However, it always seemed elusive because I only saw it when I went to a Japanese restaurant, and they never gave a lot.

This year, I finally decided to try making it. I was floored at how easy it was to replicate my all-time favorite potato salad. This time, I did not hold back, and made a HUGE portion to make up for all those childhood times when I longed for another scoop of this creamy, potato salad that almost resembles mashed potatoes.

Japanese potato salad is much lighter, and the addition of rice vinegar adds just enough brightness to balance out the Japanese Kewpie mayo.

Finally, the addition of quickly salted cucumbers and lightly blanched carrots adds a lovely crunch to the salad.

Step by Step – How to Make Japanese Potato Salad

Boil potatoes starting with cold, salted water until done, around 15 min. Drain and let stand. It’s better to use a fluffy type of potato versus a waxy one (e.g. Yukon gold vs. red potato).

Meanwhile, make a quick salted “pickles” for both the cucumbers and onions by mixing with sea salt, mix, and let stand for 10 minutes to let the water “sweat” out. Squeeze out the water, rinse, and set aside.

Gently mash the potatoes and then add salt, pepper, rice vinegar, and sugar. Add quick pickled cucumbers, carrots, onions, and Kewpie mayonnaise.
Serve or chill for serving later.

Yum!

Adapted from Lovely Lanvin
5 medium Yukon gold potatoes
1/3 cup Kewpie mayo
1/2 Japanese cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, minced
1/2 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 T rice vinegar
1 T sugar|

Potatoes
Boil potatoes starting with cold, slated water until done, around 15 min. Drain and let stand.

Quick Pickled Cucumbers
Meanwhile, make a quick salted “pickles” for both the cucumbers and onions by mixing with sea salt, mix, and let stand for 10 min to let water out. Squeeze out the water, rinse, and set aside.

Blanched Carrots
Quickly blanch carrots for 1-2 min. Drain and set aside

Put It All Together
Gently mash the potatoes and then add salt, pepper, rice vinegar, and sugar. Add quick pickled cucumbers, carrots, onions, and Kewpie mayonnaise.
Serve or chill for serving later.