Japanese Style Potato Salad

My husband loves English style potato salad with boiled new baby potatoes and chopped onion mixed with real mayonnaise.  This is a simple salad but very tasty and I love it, too!

However, there is a even more tasty potato salad - the Japanese style potato salad - and my husband and I love it even more than the English one.

The Japanese style potato salad is cooked with mashed potatoes, has lots of ingredients including meat (usually thin sliced ham), vegetables and fruits, and mixed with creamy QP mayonnaise.

The recipe that I am introducing to you in this blog was originally my mother's.  I modified and upgraded it to even more delicious recipe and now I am confident that mine is far better than my mother's and any other recipe!  I therefore call my recipe of Japanese style potato salad - the ultimate!

I will promise you that once you taste my potato salad you will definitely say "Wow"! and your concept of potato salad will be completely changed!


Ingredients for 5 - 6 people
2 large russet potatoes (about 12oz each)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
salt and white pepper to taste
4 -5 pieces of bacon, chopped into small pieces
3 inches of the thin end of a carrot, peeled and diced into small pieces
1/2 onion,chopped into thin small pieces
2 - 3 leaves cabbage, chopped into small pieces
4 inches English cucumber, seeded, and very thinly sliced (mandolines are great!)
1/2 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped into small pieces
3/4 - 1 cup mayonnaise (preferably QP mayonnaise)


Instructions
Peel each potato and cut into thirds.  Wash them under running water to remove the starch, then place them in a large pan with enough water to cover.  Boil them until a skewer can pierce the potatoes easily.

Empty the potatoes into a colander, drain, then put the potatoes back to the pan.  While putting the pan over a very low heat for 45 seconds to 1 minute, mash the potatoes with a masher to allow excess liquid contained in the potato to evaporate.  Add the vinegar, salt & white pepper, mix well and cool completely.

On a non-stick frying pan, cook the bacon without oil until crispy.  Take the bacon and place on cooking paper and leave to cool completely.

Boil some water in a small pan and cook the carrots for 2 - 3 minutes until it becomes soft.  Drain and cool completely.

In a mixing bowl, place the onion, cabbage and cucumber, add 1 teaspoon salt, mix with a spoon and leave for 15 minutes.  Wash off the salt thoroughly and squeeze, then wrap with kitchen paper and squeeze one more time to remove the liquid completely.

Make a lightly salted water by adding 1/2 teaspoon salt to 2 cups water and brine the apple for 15 minutes to prevent from discolouring. Drain and pat-dry with kitchen paper.

In a large mixing bowl, place all the above ingredients including the tomatoes, pour the mayonnaise over the salad and mix well.  Serve after chilling for a few hours.

Before you go, click the ranking banners below 

to keep me near the top of the blog rankings.

Many thanks and see you soon!

 

Below is the Japanese version of the recipe.  If you would like to read this recipe in Japanese with pictures covering every step, please click HERE.

Bon appetit!


＜材料　　５～６人分＞ 
じゃがいも．．．６５０～７００ｇ（私はラセットポテトを２つ使用）
白ワインビネガー．．．大さじ１
塩白こしょう．．．適宜
ベーコン、縦に２等分し細かく刻む．．．４～５枚（生ベーコンがなければハム４～５枚を焼かずに使用）
人参、皮を剥き細かく刻む．．．細いところ７～８ｃｍ
たまねぎ、１／２の薄い櫛形切り．．．小１／２個
キャベツ、２～３ｍｍ幅に千切り．．．大きな葉２～３枚
イングリッシュキューカンバ、種を抜き薄切り．．．７～８ｃｍ（日本のきゅうりなら１本を種を抜かずに使用）
りんご、皮を剥き芯を取り除いて細かく刻む．．．海外の小サイズ１個（日本のりんごなら中１／２個）
トマト、皮を剥き種を抜いて細かく刻む．．．２個
マヨネーズ．．．３／４～１カップ（たっぷりと！）
味の素．．．適宜  


＜作り方＞
１．じゃがいもは皮を剥き大きく切り分け、流水ででんぷん分を綺麗に洗い流す。鍋に入れ、水を張って火にかける。煮立ってきたら火を弱め、竹串を刺してすっと通るようになるまで茹でる。

２．１をざるに空けて水きりし、再び鍋に戻し、弱火にかけて水分を飛ばしながら、マッシャーでマッシュする。熱い内にワインビネガー、塩、白こしょうを加えて混ぜ、完全に冷ます。
 
３．フライパンを火にかけ、油を引かずにベーコンを炒める。４～５分じっくり炒め、ベーコンからたっぷり脂肪が湧き出てカリッとしたら、穴の開いたおたまで掬い上げ、ペーパーの上で余分な脂を切る。完全に冷ます。 

４．人参は沸騰している湯で柔らかくなるまで数分茹で、ざるに空けて水切りし、完全に冷ます。

５．たまねぎ、キャベツ、きゅうりはボウルにひとまとめにし、塩小さじ１弱を加えてよく混ぜ、しんなりするまで１５分程度置く。流水で揉み洗いし塩分を洗い流して固く絞り、更にペーパーに包んで絞り完全に水分を取り除く。

６．りんごは刻むと同時に５００ｍｌ程度の水に小さじ１／２ほどの塩を加えた塩水に浸け、そのまま１５分程度置いて変色するのを防ぐ。ざるに空け水切りし、さらにペーパーでパッティングドライして水分を取り除く。

７．２～４が完全に冷めたら大きなボウルに一まとめにし、５、６、トマトも加えて、たっぷりのマヨネーズで和える。味の素を数振りし味を調える。冷蔵庫で冷たく冷やし、好みで、食べる時に醤油を２、３滴落とすと、また一層旨味が深まる。

Before you go, click the ranking banners below 

to keep me near the top of the blog rankings.

Many thanks and see you soon!

 

Roasted Tomatoes & Avocado Salad with Framboise Dreesing

Sadly, lots of vegetables we buy at the supermarket nowadays have lost their flavour.  Tomatoes are one of them.  I love tomatoes, so feel very disappointed if they have no flavour at all.

I often roast tomatoes before adding them to salads.  We can extract the tomato's own sweet flavour by roasting.

The tomatoes used for this salad are also roasted, and the dressing is made with the oil used for cooking the tomatoes.  Fruity raspberry vinegar and sweet Japanese mayonnaise emphasise the tomatoes' flavour even more.


Ingredients for 2 - 3 people
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Roma tomatoes each cut into 6 wedges
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon QP mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Pommery mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 ripe avocado
3 - 4 handfuls green salad of your choice

Instructions
Place the tomatoes in an oven proof dish and drizzle the olive oil all over.  Season with salt and vigorous black pepper.  Roast the tomatoes in an preheated oven at 400F for about 20 minutes.  Carefully turn over the tomatoes once halfway through.

Remove the tomatoes to a plate and leave to cool completely.  Reserve the oil in the dish.

Add the vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard and sugar to the reserved oil and mix well.  Season with extra salt and black pepper if neccessary.

Halve the avocado, then stone and peel.  Cut it into 1/2 inch cubes.

Dish up the green salad to a large plate and arrange the roasted tomatoes and avocado.  Drizzle the Framboise (raspberry) dressing all over.


Bon appetit!

Double Avocado Mexican Style Salad

My husband loves my guacamole and I think it is really good too.  I have never tasted a better guacamole than mine even in a Mexican restaurant.

Making a modification to my guacamole recipe, I have made a beautiful salad using two avocados.  One is a part of the salad ingredients and the other is used for dressing.

Fresh cilantro makes you feel refreshed and gives a hint of Mexican flavour.  Avocado lovers will die for this salad!


Ingredients for 4 people
(Dressing)
1 avocado
2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 teaspoon lime zest (about 1/2 to 1 lime)
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin powder
a dash of Tabasco
salt and black pepper to taste
MSG to taste (optional)

(Salad)
3 tomatoes skinned, seeded and cut into half inch cubes
1 red bell pepper, seeded, removed the membrane and cut into half inch squares
2-3 green onions, chopped
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1 avocado

Cayenne pepper or chilli power to garnish

Instructions
To make the dressing, halve the avocado, then remove the stone and peel.  Put the flesh into a small bowl and immediately pour the lime juice all over to help stop it discoloring.

Using a spoon, scrape off the remaining green flesh from the skins and add to the bowl.  Mash the avocado well with an avocado masher (or potato masher or even a fork) until it becomes smooth.

Add the other ingredients of dressing to the bowl and mix well.  Set aside.

Place all the ingredients of salad excepting the avocado into a larger mixing bowl.

Now, halve the second avocado for the salad, then remove the stone and peel.  Cut it into half inch cubes and add to the other salad ingredients.  Like you did for the first avocado, scrape off the remaining green flesh from the skin and add to the dressing bowl, then mix.

Add the dressing to the salad bowl and mix well. 

Serve with sprinkles of cayenne pepper or chilli power.


If you would like to read this recipe in Japanese, please click HERE.

Bon appetit!

Feta & Chick Pea Mediterranean Style Salad

I tasted a sampler salad at Whole Foods the other day.  It was just so delicious!

Unfortunately, as I had already made a dinner plan for that night so I didn't buy it, but I just couldn't forget its beautiful taste.  Anyway, rather than going back to Whole Foods to buy it I made something very similar at home, remembering the taste of the original salad.

I think my replica salad is as delicious as the Whole Foods one, or maybe even better!


Ingredients for 3 - 4 people
(Salad)
1 can Chick Peas washed thoroughly in running water, then drained
1 large shallot chopped finely
1 clove garlic chopped finely
4oz crumbled feta cheese
about 10 cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 tablespoon parsley chopped finely
1 teaspoon fresh oregano chopped finely

(Dressing)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon sugar to taste
salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions
Place all the ingredients of salad into a large mixing bowl and mix. Simple!

To make the dressing, whisk (or shake, if you put it in a bottle) the oil, vinegar, lemon juice and sugar together.  Season to taste with the salt and black pepper.

Add the dressing to the bowl and mix well.


If you would like to read this recipe in Japanese, please click HERE.

Bon appetit!

Tarragon Salmon on Caesar Salad

My husband and I love to go to Fall City Roadhouse and Inn for dinner.  Perhaps a lot of you may know this restaurant, as it was once used as the set of an 90s American hit TV drama - Twin Peaks.

The food is generally very good - but among the many excellent dishes, our favourite dish is Blackened Salmon on Caesar Salad.  This dish is amazing!  Good quality salmon just perfectly cooked!  It is one of the best dishes that I have had since I moved to America in 2010.  I really mean it!!!

Whenever I prepared a Caesar salad, I used to top it with grilled chicken, but after we tasted the beautiful salmon Caesar salad at Roadhouse, I always top it with a cooked salmon fillet trying to mimic their No1 delicious dish!

This time, the way I cooked is differently from Roadhouse, but it was as delicious as the Roadhouse one.  I marinated salmon fillets in some lemon juice with salt and plenty of black pepper for 30 minutes or so, then blackened them.  At the end of the cooking,  I added the marinated lemon juice to the pan and added some chopped tarragon.

I promise that my recipe of salmon salad will  refresh you at dinner after a long hot summer day!

 
Ingredients for 2 people
(Salmon)
2 pieces salmon - each about half pound
salt and black pepper
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-1.5 tablespoons chopped tarragon leaves

(Dressing)
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 anchovy fillets, patted dry with paper and chopped finely
2 garlic clove, chopped finely
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste

(Salad)
Romain lettuce, croutons, shredded Parmesan cheese, and your choices of vegetables... tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers (paprika) etc., etc.

Instructions
Starting from the thick side of the salmon fillet, remove the skin with you hand using the back of chopping knife to press down the fillets.

Season the both sides of the salmon fillets with some salt and vigorously with black pepper.  Add the lemon juice and marinate it for 30 minutes or so.

To make the dressing, whisk the egg with the chopped anchovy fillets, garlic and lemon juice until it combines and becomes smooth.

Combine the 2 oils and then start whisking the egg mixture, adding the oil in a thin stream until the dressing becomes thicker and creamy.

Dish up the lettuce, croutons, shredded Parmesan cheese and your choices of vegetables on a serving plate and drizzle over some of the dressing.

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and fry the skinned side of the fillet until it is blackened. 
Flip over the salmon and fry the other side.

When the salmon is cooked, add the seasoned lemon juice that you marinated the salmon in and sprinkle the chopped tarragon to the salmon.  Cook until the liquid has almost entirely evaporated.

Place the cooked salmon on top of the salad.  Serve with the rest of the dressing.


If you would like to read this recipe in Japanese, please click HERE.

Bon appetit!