Japanese Potato Salad, Potato Totoros, and Vegan Kewpie Mayo

A long time ago, when my host daughter Emiko made Japanese potato salad for us, I was dubious. Unlike the American version, it was extremely simple: potatoes, cooked carrots, peas, mayo, and salt. Then I tasted it, and thought it was genius.


Kewpie mayo is the Japanese standard that everyone uses over there, and the ONLY mayo considered acceptable in potato salad. It's what a lot of our sushi restaurants use on their fancy sushi rolls as well. It's not as tangy and a little sweeter than American mayo, and creamier in texture. It also has a happy yellow tint to it. They use rice vinegar instead of distilled vinegar, which people say is the key to it's popular flavor. It also contains MSG, and I'm thinking that has to do with its addictiveness more than anything.

Kewpie Japanese Mayonnaise, sold in most Asian markets

Homemade Kewpie Mayonnaise, veganized

To "veganize" this, I had quite the challenge. But after a few taste tests from myself and some Kewpie experts, I think I'm on to something. I made use of the natural sweetness of cashews and carrots, so there's no added sugar or sweeteners, and much less added oil. You can reduce the oil by half if you like, but it won't be as shiny and melt-in-your-mouth. There's also no MSG.

This makes much more than the recipe requires, so feel free to jar leftovers and use it for other purposes.

Vegan Kewpie Mayonnaise

(makes about 26 oz.)

Ingredients:

1 C. cashews (unroasted, unsalted)

1 C. water + 1/4 C. water to add later

1 package (12 oz.) Mori Nu Extra Firm Silken Tofu

1/4 C. thinly sliced carrots

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. yellow mustard

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar

1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil

Spinz:

Place cashews and 1 cup water into a sauce pan and heat until boiling. Turn off heat and set aside to let cool for about 15 minutes. In a food processor, pour in the cashew-carrot-water mixture and blend until finely chopped. Note: if you want a thicker mayo, drain off about a little of the liquid before blending (you can always add in more if needed). Add all other ingredients, except the 1/4 C. water, and puree until smooth. If it's too thick, add the water a little at a time until you get the right consistency. Blend for a good 5 minutes or more, scraping down the sides every so often- you want it silky smooth without any grittiness from the nuts. Chill in the fridge before using.

Since this is a healthier potato salad challenge, I though I'd include some interesting nutritional comparisons with both regular mayo and the vegan standard:

What's great about making your own, is that you can make adjustments.
If you're worried about sodium, for instance, you can substitute a low
sodium salt, or reduce the overall amount.  Also, vegan mayo is naturally 
cholesterol-free, whereas the Kraft mayo has 5mg of cholesterol per serving.

Kahaku Namasu (literally: Red & White Pickled Salad)

Although the simplicity of this potato salad is genius as mentioned, I thought I'd add another dimension to it, because I just couldn't help myself! To add a little zing and crunch, I decided to make some Kahaku Namasu (carrot & daikon pickled salad). It's the same stuff they use in those incredible Banh Mi Vietnamese sandwiches, so you know what to do with any leftovers!

Make very thin matchstick slices

Kahaku Namasu

Spinz:

After cutting up about 1 cup each of both daikon and carrots (as shown above), place them into a bowl and sprinkle generously with salt (about 1 tsp). Massage the salt into the veggies, then set aside to allow them to release some of their moisture. Mix together the following into a tuperware container:

Dressing:

1 C. rice vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)

1 C. raw sugar

1/4 C. water

Heat for about 1 minute in the microwave to dissolve the sugar, then chill and set in the fridge to cool.

After about 30 minutes, you'll see that the carrots and daikon have released a lot of their water. Wrap them in a towel and squeeze out any excess. Put them into the dressing, and let them marinate for 10-15 minutes. Do not soak too long, because they will get soft and not crunchy. Drain off the dressing, then store them in the fridge until ready to use.

Now you're ready to boil the potatoes. I used about 2 pounds of red boiler potatoes, and put them into a large pot of cold salted water with an inch of cover. Boil them until a fork goes in easily. Drain, and mash while still warm. I decided to leave the skins in, but you can peel them first. Let cool to room temp.

To this I added:

1/2 C. frozen petite peas (thawed)

1/2 C. finely chopped green onions

1 C. of the Kahaku Namasu

Vegan Kewpie Mayo (to desired creaminess)

Mix everything together, and it's ready!

"Ta Daaaa!"

Potato "Totoros"

"Oishii (Delicious)!"

If you haven't seen Totoro before, here's the trailer for it. I fell in love with the Japanese version with subtitiles, and if you can find it, that is the one to watch!








Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads. A medium-size (5.3 ounce) potato has 110 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and includes nearly half your daily value of vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana!

PFB #2: The Turtle and the Sea

Once upon a time, long long ago, there was a beautiful and rare white turtle named Keiko, who was known in her village to sing the most beautiful melodies. Sweet, innocent, and very obedient, she rarely ventured outside of her village and quiet cove, for fear of the unknown- plus her slow turtle gait didn't help either.
 

Day after day, she stayed in the village and entertained her family and friends with her beautiful voice. But soon, she grew bored and longed for new experiences. Although the other turtles begged her to stay, and warned her of possible dangers, she made the difficult decision to go on a journey.

So she began her trek- slowly, yet deliberately, until she finally reached the edge of her village and crossed the line into the unknown world. For days she pushed forward with her clumsy flipper-feet, alone along a sandy dirt road, passing tall wispy red pines, and stopping to munch on some tasty wild ninjin (carrots). She sang to keep herself company, and often wondered what she might discover. The sun beat down upon her, and soon turned her pure white shell to a golden hue.

On the third day, she noticed a faint sound in the distance. "Boom, swish, boom, swish!" it repeated. And, it became louder and louder as she walked towards it. "What could that be?" Keiko wondered with nervous excitement.

Suddenly, the road opened up before her. She saw a vast sky, that was crystal blue with puffy clouds, and directly below- an enormous emerald sparkling sea, with waves gently crashing onto the rocks at the water's edge. "Oh, I've never seen anything so beautiful!" she remarked aloud.

To her surprise, the sea (named Kai) answered back in a booming voice, "Why, thank you! I've been admiring your wonderful singing voice." And so for hours they chatted, and quickly became good friends. Then, Keiko had a most glorious idea. "Why don't you use your waves to make a rhythm, and I'll sing along?" "What a lovely idea," said Kai. After some practice, the pair finally made the most incredible music together. Kai would even make different rhythms for the young turtle to sing to, as she gleefully swam and floated in the sea's waters. The beautiful songs that resulted can still be heard to this day... if you listen carefully.

When Keiko returned to her village, she spread the news of the wonderful Kai, and all the turtles decided to follow suit and venture outside of their comfy village. Soon, all the turtles lived in the sea, and only returned to their village to lay their eggs, so the next generation could make the same trek that Keiko did.

The Inspiration:

This post is dedicated to my host daughter, Keiko from Japan. She left us to go back to her home country a few years ago, and we are thrilled that she will be coming back to visit us next month! On top of that, the story symbolizes her brave journey to the United States, back when she barely spoke any English... Plus, she loves turtles! :)

About This Dish:

This curry dish (called karē) is very popular in Japan. My host daughter didn't cook much, so she never made us this dish, but she did show us the instant curry mix (comes in blocks) that so many Japanese people use to make it. I would describe it as a milder curry (as compared to Indian curries), and is thick like a gravy with a unique sweetness. It almost always has potatoes, carrots, and onion, and is usually served over rice.

A Little History:

From Wiki: Curry was introduced to Japan during the Meiji era (1869–1913) by the British, at a time when India was under the administration of the British. The dish became popular and available for purchase in supermarkets and restaurants in the late 1960s. It has been adapted since its introduction to Japan, and is so widely consumed that it can be called a national dish.

The Recipe:

Instead of using the instant mix which usually contains MSG, I made this from scratch. It is essentially a sauce made from a seasoned roux as its base, which is unusual to me.  I also wanted to try making my own garam masala spice mix, which was a lot easier than I expected!  I borrowed instructions from this site.

Ingredients:

For the Roux:

4 T. Earth Balance margarine

1 T. garam masala

1/4 C. all purpose flour

For the Rest:

1 C. finely chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 C. carrots, chopped (size desired)

1 C. red or yukon potatoes, chopped (sized desired)

3 C. vegetable stock
1 T. brown sugar

salt to taste

Spinz:

Make the roux first by heating the margarine in a sauce pan.  Stir garam masala into melted margarine for a minute or two.  Add flour and stir until well combined.  Take off heat and set aside.  

In a large skillet or pot, saute the onions in a little vegetable oil until tender and golden.  Add carrots, and saute for a few minutes before adding the potatoes and garlic and doing the same.  Season with salt. Once a little browned, add the vegetable stock, sugar, and more salt (if needed), and simmer until carrots and potatoes are tender but still firm (al dente).  Mix in the roux and let simmer to finish.  Serve over Japanese short grain rice.

The End

Story, illustrations, and food by DJ Karma