00:00I've never been much of a fan of potato salad. That was until I created this Isakaya-inspired
00:06Japanese potato salad packed with crispy bacon, creamy mashed potatoes, crunchy vegetables,
00:12and delicious eggs blended with the perfect selection of seasonings.
00:16It's seriously a potato salad like no other.
00:19You can also find this recipe on my website, along with over 400 Japanese recipes.
00:24Just google potato salad space so that you can find me.
00:27First, I place two eggs and three potatoes in the pot.
00:35Fill it with cold water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
00:45Add half teaspoon of salt to season the potatoes.
00:48We start with cold water so that the potatoes cook evenly.
00:51If you start with hot water, then outside of the potato will cook too quickly and fall apart.
00:57Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and continue to boil until you can easily
01:03pierce the potatoes with a fork, about 15 minutes or so.
01:08While I wait, I've cut half a Japanese cucumber into thin slices and I'm going to rub them with
01:13a few pinches of salt to improve the flavour and draw out some excess moisture.
01:20Once they're evenly covered, set them aside for later.
01:24Next, I'm heating a frying pan on medium with about half teaspoon of cooking oil.
01:29Once it's hot, add quarter of a sliced onion, 50 grams of cubed bacon, and two finely diced cloves of
01:38garlic.
01:39Simply fry those until the onion is soft and golden, and the bacon is cooked through.
01:45As always, all ingredients and exact measurements for this recipe can be found in the description
01:50box below.
01:52Many Japanese potato salads are made with raw onions, but I find them a bit too pungent.
01:59Frying the onions will soften the onion flavour and bring out their natural sweetness.
02:04And any fatty bacon works great here.
02:07For something a bit different, you could try using Italian pancetta.
02:12Ok, this looks good, so I'm gonna take the pan off the heat and set aside for later.
02:18It's been about 10 minutes, so I'm going to transfer the eggs to a bowl of cold water
02:23and let them cool down for about 10 minutes.
02:26The potatoes aren't quite ready yet, I can pierce them but not easily, so just keep checking
02:33them from time to time.
02:34Ok, it's been about 20 minutes in total, and my potatoes are finally soft enough.
02:39I'm going to use a mesh spoon to scoop that into a heatproof bowl, because I actually want
02:45to reuse this water one more time.
02:51Add about one third of a carrot.
02:54I thinly cut it into half moons, but the shape is up to you.
02:58All these for one minute.
03:00We want them to be crunchy but not too raw tasting.
03:04After a minute, scoop them out and into a bowl and set aside for later.
03:13Mashed potatoes while they are still hot.
03:15Not only is it easier to mash them, but they also absorb flavour better when they're still hot.
03:21Just be careful not to overcook them, because mashing or mixing too much can make the texture gummy.
03:27Once it's more or less smooth, add the contents of the frying pan from before,
03:33the blanched carrots, and the boiled eggs.
03:36We're just going to give this a quick mix with a spatula and break up the eggs.
03:42It's believed that the first Japanese potato salad was born at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo in the early
03:4820th century, and it's become a staple dish that you can find anywhere from home kitchens to
03:54convenience stores, restaurants, and izakayas.
03:57We often call it potesara for short.
04:00There are many ways to make Japanese potato salad using different ingredients.
04:05You can add or leave out anything you like, really.
04:08Okay, next, squeeze the cucumbers thoroughly and add it to the bowl along with
04:131 tbsp of grape parmesan cheese,
04:16half tsp of dashi granules,
04:18quarter tsp of black pepper,
04:201 tsp of apple vinegar,
04:224 tbsp of mayonnaise,
04:251 tsp of toasted sesame oil,
04:281 tsp of honey,
04:29and half tsp of Japanese mustard.
04:32Mix everything together until evenly distribute it.
04:36I recommend using Japanese mayo like Kewpie,
04:39but you can use regular mayonnaise or try making your own using my homemade recipe on my website.
04:46Also, if you can't find karashi mustard, a good quality smooth diesel mustard is a good substitute.
04:52What I like most about the flavour of this potato salad is the unique sweetness of the honey,
04:58and the unique spiciness of the mustard mixed with the mayonnaise.
05:03The appeal is that you can enjoy a variety of different flavour and texture layers all at once.
05:10Anyway, once it's mixed, you can serve it right away while it's still warm,
05:15and add an extra sprinkle of black pepper.
05:18However, I personally think it's even better if you chill it in the fridge first.
05:24And that's it, Japanese izakaya style potato salad.
05:28Want even more delicious recipes?
05:31Grab my free cookbook from the link in the description.
05:34I hope you enjoyed this video, and if you want to read the full recipe,
05:38you can find it on my blog, the link is on the screen.
05:41If you love this video, don't miss my appetizer playlist popping up on your screen right now.
05:47Hope to see you in the next one.
05:48Thanks for watching.
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