Japanese Potato Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Japanese potato salad made of? ›

A classic side dish for homemade lunch boxes or bento picnics, a Japanese potato salad is made with boiled russet potatoes, vegetables, boiled eggs and, often, ham, all seasoned with rice vinegar and tangy Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise.

The key difference between the two mayonnaises is that Japanese mayo is made with egg yolks only, while American mayo typically includes whole eggs. Using only egg yolks results in a mayonnaise that's richer and more custard-like in texture and gives Japanese mayo its characteristic golden glow.

Prepping and cooking potatoes. To peel or not to peel? If you'd like to add a little extra color and texture to your salad, leave the skins on. Just be sure to scrub them thoroughly with a vegetable brush before you cook them.

How did the potato come to be known in Japan? Edible tubers and starchy roots were indigenously called imo (芋) in Japanese. Examples include sato-imo, the taro; and yama-imo, the mountain yam. Potatoes are Japanese for ジャガイモ(jyaga imo)、馬鈴薯(bareisyo).

A: Japanese sweet potatoes are a nutritional powerhouse. They are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making them a great addition to a healthy diet. They can also be enjoyed as a nutritious snack option.

Add sugar and rice vinegar in a pinch to make Kewpie mayo with regular mayo. It will not be the same as it lacks the rich egg yolk flavors, but this is the closest substitution. For 1 cup of American mayonnaise (I use Best Foods/Hellmann's Mayonnaise), add 2 Tbsp rice vinegar and 1 Tbsp sugar.

To make a shortcut Kewpie mayonnaise substitute, combine 1 cup mayonnaise with two tablespoons of rice vinegar and one tablespoon of granulated sugar, either using a whisk or a blender.

Both spicy mayo and yum yum sauce have a mayonnaise base, but spicy mayo packs a lot more heat than yum yum sauce. Most spicy mayo is made with just two ingredients like the one I share here. Yum yum sauce is sweeter and less spicy as it uses ketchup or tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, sugar, and a little hot sauce.

To keep your salad from falling apart into mush, it's important to use the best potatoes for potato salad. Skip the russet potatoes and use a waxy variety instead, like Yukon gold, red potatoes or fingerlings.

Drop a whole russet into the pot and by the time the outside has cooked through, the inside will still be raw. Larger potatoes should be cubed to ensure they cook evenly (peeled first if desired). Smaller potatoes tend to have thin skins and can be boiled whole, no peeling required.

Do you salt the water when boiling potatoes for potato salad? ›

The vegetable absorbs the water it's cooked in, so if you just boil them in unseasoned water, you'll end up with tasteless taters that no amount of mayo, herbs, or bacon bits can help. Adding salt to the water seasons them from the inside out so you'll be able to start with the perfect potatoes for your dish.

Nagaimo (Dioscorea japonica) is an elongated tuber known as Chinese yam, Korean yam, and Japanese mountain yam. It's most known for its slimy and gooey texture, popular with the Japanese.

Although they're sometimes labeled "Japanese sweet potatoes," Murasaki sweet potatoes were actually developed in Louisiana. The name Murasaki means "purple" in Japanese, as the potato is similar in look and taste to many Asian types.

The Sweet Famine Fighter

This is what led to sweet potatoes being grown in every region of Japan. Capable of growing even in poor or depleted soils and highly nutritious to boot, sweet potatoes have proven time and again to be a key source of nutrients whenever Japan has been hit by food shortages.

They're so naturally sweet—more of an earthy, chestnut-y sweetness rather than a sugary one—that the only adornment you need is a sprinkle of flaky salt, though I'm always even happier with a generous sprinkling of gomasio.

Murasaki sweet potatoes are characterized by their deep purple skin and creamy white flesh, as well as their extra starchy texture. Although they're sometimes labeled "Japanese sweet potatoes," Murasaki sweet potatoes were actually developed in Louisiana.

Because they're a little drier and starchier than other varieties, Japanese sweet potatoes have a distinct creaminess and a fluffier, lighter texture, a little more like a regular baking potato than a standard orange sweet potato. They also have a particularly sweet yet, subtle flavor compared to many other varieties.

The two most common white-fleshed sweet potatoes are Boniato, also called batata, or Cuban sweet potato, and the Japanese sweet potato, also called the satsuma-imo. The big difference between the two is the skin color: Japanese sweet potatoes have a pinkish brown skin and the outer skin of a boniato is light tan.