How to Make Japanese Potato Salad at Home

Japanese potato salad combines crisp veggies and Western deli staples, like hard-boiled eggs and sandwich meat, with classic Japanese flavors. The dish gets acidity from rice vinegar and hot mustard, plus an extra dose of creaminess from rich Japanese mayo and cooked, partially mashed potato. Potato salad is served as a side dish or included in bento boxes in Japan.

Potato salads are about the harmony of flavor and texture, and Japanese potato salad is no exception. Here are a few tips to consider when making Japanese potato salad:

1. 1. Use Japanese-style mayo. Japanese-style mayonnaise utilizes egg yolks, which play a key role in the dressing’s flavor and the overall creaminess of the final dish. You can find Japanese-style mayo in most Asian grocery stores.
2. 2. Use the right kind of potato. For the ultimate creamy texture, the starchy, fluffy texture of cooked russets is ideal for mixing with rich Japanese-style mayo. (If you’re not a fan of the texture of potato skins, feel free to peel before cooking, but most recipes leave them on.)
3. 3. Start with salted, cold water. It might seem counterintuitive to cook potatoes in cold water, but allowing them to warm along with the water cooks the starches more evenly.
   

Though you can enjoy them in similar settings, there are a couple of key differences between American and Japanese-style potato salad:

• Ingredients: Japanese-style potato salad features chopped vegetables, boiled eggs, and, occasionally, pieces of deli meat in a base of mostly mashed potatoes seasoned with sharp rice vinegar, hot mustard, and rich Japanese mayonnaise.
  
• Potato preparation: American-style potato salad features small chunks of diced potato—usually red potatoes, Yukon Gold, or russet—briny elements like dill pickles and capers, and a mayo-based dressing sweetened with a bit of sugar.