Japanese Potato Salad Food

JAPANESE POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender. Boil the carrot, unpeeled, in the same pot. Boil the egg until hard boiled at the same time.
• In the meantime, slice the cucumber and the onion very thinly. Sprinkle both with a little salt, and let sit for a while (10 minutes or more) until the vegetables exude their juices. Squeeze firmly to get rid of the juices.
• When the potatoes and carrot are done, drain and peel them while still hot (holding each in a kitchen towel to peel them helps). Smash the potatoes and shred the carrot. Mix in a little salt and pepper and leave to cool.
• Peel the hard boiled egg and chop up finely.
• When the potatoes and carrot mixture has cooled to room temperature, mix in the cucumber, onion and egg. Mix in the mayonnaise. Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the refrigerator until serving time (ideally at least one hour).
• Note regarding mayonnaise: The ideal mayo to use is a Japanese one. Next best would be to make your own, using a flavor-neutral vegetable oil such as canola or safflower, not extra virgin olive oil. ("Extra Light" olive oil is fine.) Lacking access to Japanese mayonnaise or the time to make your own though, any commercial mayo will do as long as it's not too heavy on the vinegar flavor. Salad cream such as Miracle Whip should not be used however.

JAPANESE POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Place sliced cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Let sit until tender, about 5 minutes. Squeeze cucumber to remove excess water. Place drained cucumber in a small bowl.
• Place potatoes in a pot and rinse to remove extra starch. Drain. Add fresh water to cover. Add eggs and 1/2 teaspoons salt. Place pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Transfer cooked eggs to a bowl filled with cold water. Drain potatoes well and return them to the empty pot. Season with salt and black pepper and mash potatoes while still hot; leave some chunks for texture. Peel eggs, cut into chunks, and add to the pot with the potatoes. Add cucumber, imitation crab, and corn. Add mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, and black pepper to taste.
• Chill potato salad before serving, about 30 minutes.

JAPANESE POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Cover the potatoes with about 1 inch of cold water in a medium pot and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain, then return the potatoes in the pot to the stove over medium heat and shake occasionally until all the excess water is evaporated, about 10 second.
• Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Add the vinegar, season with pepper and roughly mash with a potato masher or large fork (some small lumps should remain). Spread the potatoes up the sides of the bowl so they cool faster and set aside for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt.
• Toss together the cucumbers and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then rinse and firmly squeeze to remove any excess liquid.
• Add the corn and carrots to the boiling water and simmer until the carrots are almost tender, about 2 minutes. Drain in a small colander or strainer, then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Transfer to a small bowl lined with a folded paper towel to absorb any excess water.
• When the potatoes are ready, add the corn, carrots, cucumber and ham and gently stir to combine. Add the mayonnaise, season with salt and gently stir until thoroughly combined, adding a little more mayonnaise, if you like. Check the seasonings, adding more vinegar, salt and/or pepper, as needed. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until cold. Check the seasonings again before serving.

ARMENIAN-STYLE POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Transfer sliced potatoes into a large pot with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by a couple of inches. Stir in 1 rounded tablespoon kosher salt and 2 ½ teaspoons dried mint. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and let cook until tender, about 15 minutes, checking every 5 to 6 minutes for doneness. Drain well.
• Transfer cooked potatoes to a large mixing bowl and let cool slightly.
• While potatoes cool, heat ¼ cup olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add red onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and a pinch of salt; cook and stir for just 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir in remaining dried mint.
• Drizzle freshly squeezed lemon juice into potatoes and toss gently with a spatula. Add green onions, red onion mixture, remaining olive oil, fresh mint, fresh parsley, salt to taste, black pepper, chili flakes, and cayenne. Mix with a spatula until combined.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and flavors have melded, 3 to 4 hours.
• Unwrap; stir, taste, and adjust seasonings as needed to personal tastes. The salad almost always needs more salt stirred in once it's tasted after being chilled. Serve.

POTATO SALAD JAPANESE STYLE

Steps:

• Wash the potatoes and carrots but do not peel. (This makes the vegetable fresh and gives them good texture).
• Place in a hot steamer and cook for about 25 minutes over a medium heat, taking care to top up the water from time to time as needed. Prick the vegetables with a toothpick or skewer to see if cooked and remove when done.
• Peel the potatoes and carrots while hot and then transfer the potatoes to a bowl and roughly break up. Mix in the chicken stock powder and leave to cool.
• Chop the carrots in half length ways and slice into 5 mm thick semi-circular pieces. You can make quarter -button shapes by chopping the halves carrot again length ways before slicing.
• Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and use a spoon, remove the seeds. Cut each half again lengthways and then slice into 5 mm thick pieces. In a separate bowl, sprinkle salt over the cucumber and leave for about 2-3 minutes to soften, then squeeze to remove excess liquid. Cut the onion in half, slice and soak in water to remove any bitterness, then drain and pat dry.
• When the potato is cool, add the carrots, cucumber and onions and lightly mix. Stir in the mayonnaise, salt and pepper and serve.
• Variations: You can make this salad look even more interesting by serving it in individual portions (about the size of an egg) and add a slice of hard-boiled egg.