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.

What makes Japanese mayo different? While American mayonnaise uses whole eggs, Kewpie mayo incorporates yolks and yolks alone for a yellow color, an almost custardy texture, and distinctly rich and fatty mouthfeel.

There's no reason at all, so my advice is to leave the skins on. The skin on a potato adds a nice texture and flavor to the potato salad and it's also the healthiest part.

Temperature and time- this one is often a likely culprit of creating a bad situation at your picnic. Leaving your salad or any food in the temperature danger zone for more than two hours is an invitation for bacteria. If the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, that time is cut to one hour.

Danshaku potatoes still dominate the domestic potato market, accounting for around 60 percent of overall production. The second-most popular potato variety, May Queen, was introduced sometime in the 1910s. Although around 99 varieties of potato are grown in Japan today, these two make up the bulk of the yield.

Kewpie mayo is made with pasteurized egg yolks, vinegar (a proprietary blend that's said to contain apple cider and rice vinegars, and possibly malt vinegar), vegetable oil and salt. In Japan, it also contains monosodium glutamate (aka MSG).

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.

It's slightly more sweet and less acidic than American mayo because it contains rice or cider vinegar rather than distilled white vinegar. Japanese mayo is also a bit richer due to the incorporation of egg yolks, unlike American mayo which uses whole eggs.

Is Kewpie Mayo Healthier Than Regular Mayo? While some would argue yes, Okuda says the rest of the ingredients are similar to regular mayo. For a lighter Kewpie, he suggests looking for an eggless option, like the vegan, plant-based, gluten-free version they sell on kewpieshop.com and on Amazon .

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.

What kind of potatoes are best for potato salad? ›

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.

Yes, if your potato salad is a cold salad, as most are, allow the cooked potatoes to cool to room temperature before adding the dressing and other ingredients.

But the truth is, mayonnaise isn't your main concern when it comes to spoilage. The actual culprit is the potatoes.

Make sure the potatoes are eaten within two hours of being cooked, or keep the potatoes at 140 degrees F or hotter. Or put them in the refrigerator within two hours of being cooked. This would apply to dishes such as mashed potatoes, potato soup, boiled potatoes, and potato salad.

According to StillTasty.com, prepared potato salad—whether homemade or store-bought, dressed with vinegar and oil or mayonnaise—will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to five days if stored properly.

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.

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.