Name: Japanese Potato Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1.25 lb or 600 g); 1/2 large carrot (or 1 small carrot), peeled and diced; 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and minced; 2 slices cooked ham, sliced into 1-cm pieces; 1 green onion, chopped; 3 tbsp yellow pickled daikon, diced; 6 tbsp Japanese mayo; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1/2 tsp rice vinegar; 1/4 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 tsp onion powder; 2 tsp mustard

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Japanese potato salad is a rich, creamy potato salad that almost melts in your mouth. It’s surprisingly addicting, as it’s super savoury. The secret ingredients that set this potato salad apart from other potato salads is the Japanese mayo, rice vinegar, and yellow pickled daikon (my secret ingredient!)

Japanese potato salad with egg, green onions, carrot, potatoes and ham in a black bowl on a gray towel on a wooden surface

Japanese potato salad is one of my favourite sides to add to bento boxes, as it’s very easy to make and adds a tonne of flavour for lunch. It’s also a great side with Japanese Hamburg steak or Hanbaagu. Click here to see the recipe for the Japanese Hamburg steak.

Ingredients

Russet Potatoes – You can use other types of potatoes, but I find russet potatoes to be the best for this recipe, since it’s higher in starch content than other potatoes. The higher starch content helps make the potato salad creamier. They seem to be easier to mash into a pleasant creamy consistency.
Japanese Mayo – This is a key ingredient in Japanese potato salad and is what sets it apart from other potato salads, since Japanese mayo has a different flavour profile from North American mayo. It is highly savoury and is sweeter. I recommend using kewpie mayo.
Ham – Any type of ham is fine. I use sliced cooked ham – the kind that is square.
Carrot – adds colour
Salt – I used table salt, but you can use kosher salt, but you may need to add more of it.
Black Pepper – adds a kick
Rice Vinegar – Another distinguishing ingredient in Japanese potato salad. It adds a refreshing quality as the acidity helps cut the fat from the mayo.
Green Onion – You can substitute with another type of onion, but I like how green onion adds more colour to the potato salad.
Yellow Pickled Daikon – This is a secret ingredient in this Japanese potato salad recipe that makes it taste refreshing since it cuts the fat from the mayo.
Garlic Powder – Adds umami and roasted notes
Onion Powder – Also adds umami
Hard-boiled eggs – Makes the potato salad extra creamy and rich
Mustard – A small amount of this adds a bit of pungency to the potato salad for more complex flavour, and also helps cut the fat from the mayo.

How to Make Japanese Potato Salad

First, we’ll make some hard-boiled eggs. Submerge eggs in water in a small saucepan. Cover and bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat, keeping the eggs in the water in the sauce pan for 12 minutes and keeping the lid covered.

Boiling white eggs in a stainless steel saucepan on an electric stove

Remove the eggs from the water and submerge them in cold water in a bowl. Peel the eggs and mince them.

Mincing hardboiled eggs with a knife on a wooden cutting board

Dice the carrots into small pieces. I like to peel and then chop carrots into 2-inch long pieces. Then, I slice those pieces into quarters lengthwise and then slice the carrots thinly.

Slicing carrots with a knife on a wooden cutting board

Peel and chop the potatoes into about 1-inch sized pieces.

Dicing potatoes with a knife on a wooden cutting board

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes or until fork tender.

Boiling potatoes in a stainless steel saucepan on an electric stove

Add carrots to the boiling water when there is 3 minutes left to cook the potatoes.

Adding sliced carrots to a pot of boiling water with potatoes

While we do that, we’ll slice some ham into 1-cm squares, chop a green onion/ onion and mince the yellow pickled daikon.

Slicing cooked ham into small squares with a knife on a wooden cutting board

Once the potatoes are done, drain the potatoes and let them sit in the hot pan for a minute to let the excess water evaporate from the potatoes. Mash the potatoes inside the pan, using a potato masher

Mashing potatoes with a potato masher in a stainless steel saucepan

Then, mix the potatoes, egg, carrots, yellow pickled daikon, ham, carrot, green onion, salt, black pepper, mustard, mayo, rice vinegar, onion powder, and garlic powder in a large bowl.

Mixing potato, ham, green onion, egg, carrot and seasonings in a glass bowl

Taste the potato salad to adjust the seasoning to your liking.