Japanese Style Potato Salad with Ham

Japanese potato salad is one of my favorite sides. I like to eat it with a piece of meat or a piece of fish. I also like to eat it along with rice (I love my carbs~!). If you haven’t had Japanese style potato salad yet, this is a good one to try, it’ll even go well with your American style meal and especially a BBQ!

This is a sponsored post. Kewpie USA was kind enough to send me a box of mayonnaise and some salad dressings and this was one of the dishes that I’ve prepared with their products. If you haven’t heard of Kewpie before, it’s well known for it’s mayonnaise, which is richer and creamier than it’s American counterparts. They also make great salad dressings, one of my favorites being the sesame one.  Give them a try if you want to add some Japanese flavor to your food!

This Japanese style potato salad (ポテトサラダ) is one of my favorite takes on a classic side dish

Do you like potato salad? （ポテトサラダ）I do! 🙂

I especially like to eat it with another starch like rice or even macaroni salad. Plus some sort of meat of course.

In Japan, you may have seen potato salad (ポテトサラダ）as part of a bento box.

It pairs very well with meat, fish, rice and the vegetables that often make up those boxes.

There are many different ways that you can make this salad, but this one is classic.

Kewpie mayonnaise, salt, pepper and onion are the main flavors here.

With carrots and cucumber adding their own natural flavors and textures.

I used Yukon Gold potatoes since I like the color and also their flavor.

All of these ingredients together, work well and complement each other.

The other thing I like about this is that it comes together quicker than you might expect.

The secret?

The Microwave

Do you microwave your vegetables?

A lot of Japanese recipes call for the microwave in their recipes.

I can definitely see the convenience in that and it’s interesting to see the difference in cooking techniques in Japan versus here.

In Japanese, the microwave is called ‘denshi range’ (電子レンジ).

‘Denshi’ means electric and ‘range’ means stove/gas range.

Most American potato salad recipes seem to call for boiling the potatoes in water, which takes time and is more work than just microwaving.

So if you are making this, or any other potato salad, you might want to try the microwave!

No waiting for the water to boil and no dealing with hot water/steam!

It’s the only way I make my potatoes now, unless I’m baking them 🙂

Since summer is almost here, perhaps this potato salad could be a nice pairing for your next barbecue or Japanese themed meal!

What do you think?!

Here’s a live replay where I recreated this potato salad (minus the ham), plus moyashi (bean sprouts) goma-ae and miso marinated chicken!

Print Recipe

Japanese Style Potato Salad with Ham Yum

Course

side

Cuisine

Japanese

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 5-6 cups yukon gold potatoes approximate
• 1/4 cup japanese cucumber thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup red onion thinly chopped into 1/8" blocks
• 1/2 cup carrots peeled and sliced into half circles
• 1/4 cup sliced ham i used smoked, uncured
• 2/3 cup kewpie mayonnaise +/- more to taste
• 1/4 tsp salt +/- more to taste
• black and or white pepper to taste

Course side Cuisine Japanese Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Servings people Ingredients 5-6 cups yukon gold potatoes approximate 1/4 cup japanese cucumber thinly sliced 1/2 cup red onion thinly chopped into 1/8" blocks 1/2 cup carrots peeled and sliced into half circles 1/4 cup sliced ham i used smoked, uncured 2/3 cup kewpie mayonnaise +/- more to taste 1/4 tsp salt +/- more to taste black and or white pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Rinse and scrub potatoes, then pat dry. Using a microwave-safe bowl or plate, heat in microwave on high for 7-9 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through. Poke with fork or chopstick to test. Remove the bowl and set aside.
2. Meanwhile chop and slice carrots, red onion, ham and set aside.
3. Using another microwave-safe plate or bowl, microwave onion and carrots for 2 to 3 minutes until carrots are cooked. Remove the plate and set aside. Once cooled, use a paper towel to squeeze excess water from the onion.
4. In a large bowl, mix potatoes, carrots, onion, cucumber, ham, and mayonnaise. Use a firm spatula or serving fork to break potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve cool or at room temperature.