The potato is not a tuber that has been very successful in Asia. Although we can find it in the Lebanese, Vietnamese and Indian cuisines, it is hardly found in the rest of the continent. Rarer is its presence in Japan. Although its gastronomy is not completely waterproof - the famous tempura has Portuguese reminiscences and the omurice has North American ones - with potatoes it has hardly made any dish that could be classified as traditional.
Potato salad is one of the exceptions. It is usually made in Japanese homes but especially to taste the Japanese mayonnaise, which is never lacking as a dressing. Some call Japanese mayonnaise "kewpie mayonnaise" since it was a creation of the Kewpie brand created in 1925, which still exists.
Japanese mayonnaise is made up only of egg yolk, sunflower oil and also uses rice vinegar, being milder in flavor but thicker in consistency than usual in west. Currently you can get it in supermarkets and shops specializing in oriental food, but if you can't find it, I'll also give you the recipe.
INGREDIENTS (4 people)
For the salad
- 4 medium potatoes
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 large carrot
- 1 large cucumber
- 2 slices of York ham
- Salt
- ground black pepper
- 5 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise (see recipe below)
For the mayonnaise (if you can't find it)
- 250 ml (one cup and a quarter) of sunflower, corn or canola oil (olive cannot be used)
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of rice or apple vinegar (you can not use wine either)
- half a teaspoon of salt
- Sugar
First we boil the potatoes with skin in water just to cover them. When we can go through the potato from side to side with a knife or a fork they will be ready. Remove from the water and let cool just enough so that we can peel them, but without letting them cool completely.
Once we have the peeled potatoes, we take them to a bowl and mash them with a fork, always hot-warm. Cover a bowl with a cloth so they don't get cold.
Cut the onion into julienne strips and the peeled carrot into very thin slices. Place in a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. We take them to the microwave and heat them at maximum power for a couple of minutes. Drain the excess water and put them in the bowl with the mashed potatoes.
Peel the cucumber and cut it into thin slices. Reserve it.
Now we are going to make the Japanese mayonnaise.
We separate the yolks from the whites. The egg whites are not going to be used, so you can use them to make a white omelette, a cake, etc. etc.
Beat the two yolks with a fork. Pour into the mixer bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil.
With the mixer arm at minimum speed and without moving it at all, resting on the bottom of the glass, we beat for exactly 1 minute.
Then add the vinegar, the lemon juice, the half teaspoon of salt and the pinch of sugar. We continue beating and adding, little by little, the rest of the oil.
You will see that the mayonnaise is thickening. When you realize that it has curdled, you can move your arm so that it is homogeneous.
Pour the mayonnaise (about 5 tablespoons, but according to taste) over the still warm potatoes and mix well. Add the carrot and the onion, also the ham cut in thin slices. Finally the cucumber is added so that it does not lose its crunch. Mix well and ready to serve. Be care if you have made your own mayonnaise. It is better to east as soonest.
In fact, this somewhat "strange" way of preparing it is because it should be slightly crispy. This is how the Japanese eat it.