Japanese Potato Salad
A creamy, half-mashed potato salad with crunchy cucumber, carrot, onion, ham and hard-boiled egg, dressed with Japanese mayonnaise and a touch of rice vinegar.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Boil potatoes and carrot
Put the potato chunks in a large pot (at least 4 L, so there is room above the water) with the water and a generous pinch of salt, separate from the ½ tsp you will use later for the cucumber and onion. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower to medium and cook 10-12 minutes until a knife slides in easily, adding the carrot for the last 3 minutes. Drain well.
- 600 g potatoes
- 2 L water
- 1 tsp salt for boiling
- 1 carrot
✅ Done when: a knife slides into the potatoes easily and the carrot is just tender
Season while hot
Return the drained potatoes and carrot to the same hot, empty pot for 1 minute over low heat to let remaining water evaporate. Mash the potatoes roughly, leaving some chunks, and stir in the rice vinegar while still hot so it is absorbed. Spread out and let cool completely, about 15 minutes, before continuing.
- all the potatoes and carrot from step 1
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
✅ Done when: the potatoes feel only slightly warm to the touch
Salt the cucumber and onion
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Mix
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Chill and serve
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Boil potatoes and carrot
Put the potato chunks in a large pot (at least 4 L, so there is room above the water) with the water and a generous pinch of salt, separate from the ½ tsp you will use later for the cucumber and onion. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower to medium and cook 10-12 minutes until a knife slides in easily, adding the carrot for the last 3 minutes. Drain well.
- 600 g potatoes
- 2 L water
- 1 tsp salt for boiling
- 1 carrot
✅ Done when: a knife slides into the potatoes easily and the carrot is just tender
Season while hot
Return the drained potatoes and carrot to the same hot, empty pot for 1 minute over low heat to let remaining water evaporate. Mash the potatoes roughly, leaving some chunks, and stir in the rice vinegar while still hot so it is absorbed. Spread out and let cool completely, about 15 minutes, before continuing.
- all the potatoes and carrot from step 1
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
✅ Done when: the potatoes feel only slightly warm to the touch
Salt the cucumber and onion
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Mix
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Chill and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Potato salad arrived in Japan with Western cooking in the Meiji era, and became a favourite after Kewpie launched Japan's first mayonnaise in 1925. Japanese cooks made it their own by half-mashing the potatoes and adding crunchy vegetables and ham.
Today it's sold in every convenience store and deli, served at izakayas and packed into lunchboxes, and it's even a popular sandwich filling.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Creamy yet chunky, tangy yet mild, it's a much-loved side dish that's very different from Western potato salads.
💡 Fun Fact
Kewpie mayonnaise uses only egg yolks and rice vinegar, which makes it richer and tangier than most Western mayonnaise.
Tokyo
35.68°N, 139.65°E
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