RECIPE: Wasabi Potato Salad

Wasabi is a great way to give your ordinary potato salad a spicy kick! Japanese potato salad is a popular home-cooked dish in Japan. The Japanese version typically includes creamy, fluffy potatoes mixed with Japanese mayonnaise and crunchy vegetables. This potato salad recipe is an easy way to elevate your typical side dish by adding wasabi for a sweet and spicy kick!

To make this recipe, simply boil the potatoes until soft. Combine with vegetables, wasabi, and mayonnaise. Top it off with salt and pepper to taste, and it’s ready to serve!

What is wasabi?

Raw Japanese wasabi has the appearance of a short, bumpy, green root and it is typically produced in regions with ample fresh, natural water. Finding genuine wasabi can be a rarity even in Japan, and a bit of a luxury! To use raw wasabi, the root is grated into a paste, similar to ginger root. If you’re lucky you may be able to purchase the root, but more commonly, it is found as a paste in tube form. Genuine wasabi has a mildly sweet and floral taste, with a spicy, herbaceous-flavoured kick at the end. It is very aromatic and light-flavoured in comparison to the majority of low-grade wasabi in stores. Most wasabi, even in Japan, is made with flavoured and dyed horseradish. While still enjoyable, it can have an overwhelmingly powerful kick, and has very little floral aroma or sweetness to it.

How to use wasabi?

Wasabi is commonly enjoyed as a seasoning and condiment to bring both spice and sweetness to the palate. It’s served on the side of sashimi, soba noodles, and wagyu beef. It’s used in creamy sauces with mayonnaise for salads and sandwiches. Wasabi fanatics also enjoy genuine raw wasabi on its own as otsumami, which are small dishes and snacks served with alcohol.

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes
• ⅓ carrot
• ⅓ cucumber
• ½ avocado
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp wasabi
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Wash the potatoes and place them in a pot without peeling them. Cover them with water and bring to a boil.
2. The potatoes will be ready when they are easily pierced with a bamboo skewer.
3. While still hot, peel the potatoes and mash them with the help of a fork or a potato masher until they get smooth. Set aside.
4. Peel the carrots, and together with the cucumber cut them into thin slices (around 2 mm of thickness).
5. Cut the avocado lengthwise, remove the pit and dice the flash.
6. In a big bowl, add the mashed potatoes, sliced carrots, cucumber and avocado cubes. Mix and while the potatoes are still a bit warm, add the mayonnaise and wasabi. Stir and adjust with salt and pepper.

Recipes courtesy of Eleonora Badellino. You can find her at @everydayobento 

Introduction courtesy of Tiffany Furukawa

Tiffany spent her childhood exploring Japanese food in the suburbs of Tokyo and helping her Obaachan (grandmother) in the kitchen. These experiences nurtured her passion for food and she is now studying environmental sustainability and food sciences at university. In her free time, Tiffany loves discovering hidden restaurants in Japan, trying out new recipes in the kitchen, and going on runs!