Japanese Inspired Potato Salad
Less Haters, More Taters
What is Japanese Inspired Potato Salad
Classic American potato salads usually feature whole potatoes in a mustard and mayonnaise dressing. Popular Japanese style potato salad often has lightly mashed potatoes and a number of colourful vegetables in Japanese mayonnaise.
This recipe is the best of all worlds, with whole baby potatoes, happy vegetables, bacon and Japanese tangy mayo.
You’ll love it if…
… you love a good potato salad. This one just got an upgrade! Tangy Japanese mayonnaise, sharp mustard, bacon, colourful vegetables and baby potatoes.
If you haven’t watched the Japanese show “Old Enough”, then I strongly urge you to. This show follows Japanese children aged between two and five, running small errands on their own. It is thrilling, endearing and the most adorable thing on TV.
What does ‘Old Enough’ have to do with this recipe for Japanese inspired potato salad? Very little actually. But like the show, this potato salad is as wholesome as they come. Happy little baby potatoes with some cheerful vegetable friends running around in a mustardy mayonnaise playground. Oh and bacon. Everything is better with bacon.
Unfortunately, this potato salad will probably not be able to run an errand for you… unless that errand is bringing a potato salad to a potluck.
In which case it will not only succeed, it will look adorable doing it too.
Gather and Prep the Ingredients
Crisp the Potatoes, Char the vegetables
In a non stick pan on low to medium heat, add oil and the baby potato halves and cook until the surface is crisp. Remove and in the same pan lightly char the vegetables.
Make the Dressing
Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard and other dressing ingredients to make the dressing.
Serve and Enjoy!
In a bowl add the potatoes, pan roasted bell peppers and sweet corn and crispy bacon. Add the salad dressing and mix together. Serve.
- You can use roast pumpkin, yams or sweet potatoes instead of the potatoes in this recipe.
- For garlic lovers, you can throw a bulb of garlic in the oven and cook with olive oil at 200 °C (390 °F) for 40 minutes, squeeze out all the roasted garlic into the dressing for an extra garlic punch.
- If you don’t have kewpie you can use regular mayonnaise, but Japanese style mayonnaise is recommended because of the flavour profile. See FAQ section.
Japanese Inspired Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked baby potatoes
- 1 cup mixed bell peppers roughly cut
- 1/2 cup sweetcorn boiled
- 3-4 strips of crispy bacon chopped into pieces
For the Salad Dressing
- 1 medium jalapeño finely sliced *optional
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon shichimi togarashi or sweet / smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 3 tablespoons Kewpie mayonnaise *can be substituted for regular mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut 2 cups of cooked baby potatoes into halves and put into a pan cut side down with a generous glug of cooking oil.
- Turn on to low to medium heat and cook until the surface is crisp. Will take a couple of minutes. Turn and cook on the other side. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, lightly char 1 cup roughly cut mixed bell peppers and 1/2 cup cooked sweet corn kernels to give them a bit of colour. Remove and set aside to cool.
- In a medium sized bowl mix together all the salad dressing ingredients until all the ingredients are combined.
- Transfer the sautéed potatoes, pan roasted bell peppers and sweet corn and 3-4 strips of crispy bacon, chopped into pieces. Add the salad dressing and mix together.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Video
FAQ
What makes Japanese potato salad different from German / American potato salad?
Japanese potato salad typically has a creamier texture due to partially mashed potatoes, as opposed to the chunkier style of American potato salad. It also incorporates ingredients like cucumbers, corn, carrots, and sometimes ham, and uses Kewpie mayonnaise, which has a richer, umami flavour compared to regular mayonnaise
Can I substitute regular mayonnaise for Kewpie mayo in Japanese inspired potato salad?
Yes, you can use regular mayonnaise, but Kewpie mayonnaise is highly recommended for its unique, rich flavour. Kewpie uses only egg yolks and has added umami from glutamates, which makes it a staple in Japanese-style potato salad
What type of potatoes should I use for this potato salad?
We recommend you use baby potatoes for this recipe. You could also use a bigger waxy potato like fingerling or red potatoes, but cube them before frying
Can I make Japanese inspired potato salad ahead of time?
Yes, Japanese potato salad can be made a day ahead. In fact, allowing it to chill in the refrigerator for a few hours helps the flavours meld together. Just be sure to store it in an airtight container to maintain freshness
