• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
She's Cookin' | food and travel

She's Cookin' | food and travel

culinary travel with a side of heart healthy recipes and libations

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baking + Sweets
    • Breakfast-Brunch
    • Drinks
    • Heart Healthy
    • Main Dish
    • Meatless Monday
    • Pasta
    • Salads
    • Seafood
    • Sides
    • Soups
    • Veggies
  • Drinks
  • Low Sodium Tips
  • Travel
    • Belize
    • CHINA
      • Beijing
      • Hong Kong
      • Shanghai
    • EUROPE
      • Amsterdam
      • Brussels
      • Cannes
      • Paris
      • Ireland
    • JAPAN
      • Osaka
    • U.S.
      • Central Coast, CA
      • Chicago
      • Eureka Springs, AR
      • Gulf Coast, MS
      • Huntington Beach, CA
      • Idaho
      • Little Saigon, CA
      • Louisville, KY
      • Malibu, CA
      • Napa Valley
      • North Carolina
    • Tours – Food and Farm
    • Travel Guides
  • OC Dining & Events
    • Anaheim
    • Brea
    • Costa Mesa
    • Dana Point
    • Huntington Beach
    • Irvine
    • Laguna Beach
    • Newport Beach
    • Orange
    • Santa Ana
    • Sushi restaurants
    • Tustin
    • Westminster
  • Lifestyle
  • About
    • Let’s Work Together
    • General Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy

Japanese Potato Salad

April 9 by Priscilla 6 Comments

Share
Tweet
Pin
Yum
Email
Buffer
Reddit
Share

At your next barbecue, picnic, or pool party, change up the requisite potato salad with a fluffy Japanese Potato Salad recipe dotted with colorful, diced fresh vegetables mixed with sweet, tangy Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise.

Japanese Potato Salad

Mom’s Japanese Potato Salad

Nearly all Americans of European descent grew up eating cured ham at the family Easter celebration. We were no different, even though our mom was Nisei – second generation Japanese born in America, and not European at all. What was different was what was served with that ham. No Easter was complete without mom’s amazing potato salad, for this was no ordinary store-bought, white, mayonnaise-y American potato salad, but rather my mom’s signature Japanese-style fluffy spud salad with loads of crunch and color.

This potato salad was so special it had its own ceremonial bowl: a dusty rose colored, lidded, earthenware bowl with a single gray stripe whose sole purpose for over two decades was to display and transport the best potato salad in the world. My sister Kathy now has possession of this significant family heirloom, but its been many years since it has adorned an Easter table beside a sweet, country cured ham.

Japanese potato salad

After all these years, I missed mom’s potato salad and decided to create a version that honors her’s, but is still uniquely my own.  If you’ve ever had Japanese potato salad you understand its superiority. It’s fluffier because you mash the potatoes, then, add tiny bits of barely cooked corn and carrots for vibrant color and a pleasing crunch.

Make Your Own Kewpie Mayonnaise

Japanese love sweet and salty – mom would add bacon crumbles to her salad and a little sugar because Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise is sweeter and lighter than American mayonnaise. It can be purchased at Asian markets (there were none of those where we grew up) but by adding a dash of sweetener, a little rice vinegar, and a dab of mustard, you can modify what’s already in your fridge.

Japanese Potato Salad Recipe

Print
Japanese Potato Salad
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 
Lighter, crunchier, and more colorful than America's quintessential favorite potato salad, Japanese-style potato salad is addictive.
Course: Salad, Side
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound Idaho® russet potatoes about 3 medium sized potatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt*
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrots about 1 large carrot
  • 1/2 cup cooked corn fresh, frozen or canned
  • 1/2 cup diced English cucumber about half a cucumber
  • 2 slices Black Forest Ham*
  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise*
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 3/4 teaspoon hot & sweet mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon Xylitol stevia or sugar
  • fresh ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Peel potatoes and cut into 3/4 inch cubes. The potatoes should all be about the same size so they cook evenly. Put potatoes into a large pot and add enough water to cover the potatoes. Heat over high heat. When the water boils lower the heat to medium and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork or skewer. About 20 minutes.
  2. Drain the potatoes and add them back to the pot to cook of remaining moisture - about 30 seconds over medium heat. Stir gently to prevent browning and get all the moisture from the potatoes. Remove from heat and mash the potatoes with a potato masher, leaving some small chunks for texture. Sprinkle with salt and allow to cool.
  3. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare a hard boiled egg. Peel and dice the egg with a paring knife or egg slicer. Set aside.
  4. Prepare the vegetables: cutting a large carrot into quarters and thinly slice. Put the carrots in a microwave-safe container, add a tablespoon of water and cook for 1 minute so they are partially cooked, but still crunchy. Drain and set aside. If using frozen corn, place them in the same microwave-safe container, add a tablespoon of water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside. Cut the English cucumber into quarters lengthwise and slice thinly.
  5. Dice the ham slices. Add the ham and vegetables to the mashed potatoes with about six grinds of black pepper and mix well.
  6. Using a small whisk or fork, blend the rice vinegar, hot & sweet mustard, and sugar into the mayonnaise. Add to the potatoes and vegetables and mix until fully incorporated. Then gently mix in the diced egg. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes

*Use LoSalt for low-sodium diets. Black Forest ham is leaner and lower in sodium than other ham.
Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie) is sweeter and has a thinner consistency than regular mayonnaise. It can be found in most Asian markets, but by adding rice vinegar, mustard and sugar you can create your own.

Are there any favorite dishes that mom used to make that grace your Easter or Passover table?

Japanese potato salad

 

 

 

Disclosure: This recipe is part of my Potatoes Around the World series developed for the Idaho Potato Commission. I’m proud to be the featured blogger for April on the Idaho Potato Commission’s website – check out my recipes and all the other great ideas for working some magic with the versatile, satisfying and nutritious spud!

Related

You Might Also Like:

  • Asparagus and Potato Frittata

    This is the third in my series of asparagus recipes for spring - the first…

  • Potato and Leek Soup

    With tomorrow being St. Patrick's Day, I've had Irish on my mind. Unlike many revelers…

  • Kid Friendly Quinoa Salad

    A new month has rolled around and I'm super pleased to introduce you to Shelby…

Share
Tweet
Pin
Yum
Email
Buffer
Reddit
Share

Category Meatless| Salads| She's Cookin'| Sides Tags Japanese potato salad| potato salad

Previous
Beauty on a Budget in Hong Kong
Next
Spring Cleaning: Herbs and Spices
logo
Food Advertising by

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Aricia

    April 9 at 11:02 am

    This is a lot like my mom’s potato salad, except she adds thinly sliced apple and no corn 🙂 Japanese potato salad is the best!

    Reply
  2. Alice D'Antoni Phillips

    April 11 at 1:46 pm

    How simply yummmeeee is this, Priscilla! Your Mom is so proud!! xo

    Reply
  3. sippitysup

    April 12 at 3:15 pm

    I was madly searching Ebay for you mom’s blowl. I’m pretty sure I failed. This isn’t it, right?? http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-OVENWARE-STONEWARE-BOWL-W-LID-PINK-BLUE-STRIPE-BANDS-MARKED-E-13-6-1-2-US-/300839915347?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item460b74cf53

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      April 12 at 5:41 pm

      LOL – You’re right – that’s not it. I’ll have to get my sister to take a photo of it 🙂

      Reply
  4. Mary @ Fit and Fed

    April 15 at 4:44 pm

    Beautiful photos! I really should pick up some Japanese mayo next time I am at Uwajimaya (the big Asian supermarket around here). One time we had an exchange student who brought some mayo and other things with him and made us Japanese pancakes– good stuff!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Japanese Okonomiyaki Recipe - She's Cookin' | food and travel says:
    August 8 at 6:00 am

    […] You can use American mayonnaise, but you would be missing out on the fabulousness that is Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise. By adding a dash of sweetener, a little rice vinegar, and a dab of mustard, you can make your own Kewpie mayonnaise from regular mayo as I did in my Japanese Potato Salad recipe. […]

    Reply

We love hearing from our readers! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Get Adventures by Email

logo
Food Advertisements by

Travel with Me

logo
Food Advertisements by

Top Posts

Luscious Lemon Meringue Cocktail
Low Sodium Homemade Country Biscuits
5 Everyday Foods That Go Well With Port Wine
Potato, Carrot and Lentil Soup for the New Year
Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken Breast
Holiday Cocktails for Bourbon Lovers
logo
Food Advertisements by
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Drinks
  • Low Sodium Tips
  • OC Dining & Events
  • Travel
  • About

Footer