Hi everyone, Coco here.
There’s a concept in Japanese home cooking called Ichiju-Sansai (一汁三菜), which literally means "one soup, three dishes." It’s the traditional layout of a meal: a bowl of rice and hot miso soup, paired with one main protein and two small vegetable sides. If the main protein is the star of the table, the sides are supposed to be the quiet, humble supporting actors. But every now and then, one of those background players completely steals the show.
At the very top of that list is Japanese potato salad as we love to call it.
In Japan, potato salad is way more than just a side of vegetables. Kids go crazy for its soft, creamy texture, while adults love it as a sharp, peppery bar snack at the end of a long day, especially when it's kicked up with a bit of mustard. We eat it for dinner, but our real, unspoken joy is taking the leftovers the next morning and slapping a massive scoop of it between two thick slices of white bread for a potato salad sandwich. Every family has its own unwritten rules about what goes inside—some swear by ham, others use cucumbers, apples, or hard-boiled eggs.
For me, childhood tasted like my mother’s recipe: cucumbers, carrots, apple slices, and a secret touch of onions pickled in vinegar. After I got married, that taste naturally collided with my husband’s family version. We started adding crispy, savory pan-seared bacon, and suddenly, a brand-new "family flavor" was born. Now, that’s the exact taste my own kids are going to remember as home. No two bowls of potato salad in Japan taste identical. It’s an endless, customizable world of comfort food, and that’s what makes it so exciting.
From German Roots to Japan and Back
Here’s a fun piece of food history: this quintessential Japanese comfort food actually originated in Germany.
Decades ago, the traditional German Kartoffelsalat—the rustic, vinegar-dressed potato salad—traveled across the ocean to Japan. Once there, it met Japanese mayonnaise, adapted to local home kitchens, and slowly evolved into the velvety, creamy mash we know today.
Which is why, when we first moved to Berlin, we were hit by the most unexpected plot twist.
We bought basic ingredients from our neighborhood supermarket (our beloved EDEKA, of course) and whipped up a quick batch of Japanese potato salad. The result? It was, without a doubt, significantly more delicious than any version we had ever made back in Japan.
Through our cooking community, gozen—which we originally created for Japanese expats living abroad—our whole focus is usually about figuring out how to recreate the exact flavors of home using whatever is right in front of us, anywhere in the world. It usually involves a lot of painful trial and error, frantic substitutions, and trying to mimic elusive ingredients from back home. But with this potato salad, it wasn't a compromise at all. The local ingredients here didn't just help us get close to home—they actually made the dish better.
Let’s hand it over to Kiki to explain the science behind why this happened!
The Potato Epiphany in Berlin
Welcome to our Digital Kitchen Classroom! Kiki here.
Like Coco mentioned, making potato salad in Berlin was a massive eye-opener for me. The main reason is simply how seriously supermarkets here take their potatoes. Walk into any store in Germany, and the potato bags are strictly categorized by their texture:
- Festkochend: Firm and waxy. They hold their shape perfectly under pressure—best for pan-frying or traditional German salads.
- Mehligkochend: Floury and starchy. They completely collapse into a soft, powdery mash the second you boil them.
- Vorwiegend festkochend: The middle child. Good for a little bit of everything.
Back in Japan, everyone uses Danshaku potatoes for potato salad, which are very starchy and crumbly—essentially like the Mehligkochend type.
So when I first moved to Germany and felt completely lost in the vegetable aisle, I went up to a store clerk and asked, "I want to make potato salad, which bag should I buy?" Since I didn't know much about traditional German salad back then, the clerk naturally pointed me toward Festkochend (the firm type that doesn't break down). She gave me the 100% correct answer for a German recipe.
But I took those firm potatoes home and, out of pure habit, completely mashed them into a smooth paste the Japanese way.
When I took a bite, I couldn't believe it. It was incredibly creamy, silky, and had the most gorgeous, elegant texture I had ever experienced in a Japanese style potato salad.
It was a total accident born out of my own ignorance about the differences between Japanese and German potato salads, but it turned out to be brilliant. Ever since that day, I deliberately choose these firm, waxy potatoes whenever I make Japanese potato salad.
By the way, I asked Gemini about how to find this exact potato texture in other parts of the world. If you're in France, look for Chair ferme (especially the Charlotte variety). In the US, skip the standard baking potatoes and go for Red Potatoes. In the Netherlands, grab the Vastkokend bags, and if you're in Singapore, look for Australian Nadine or Baby potatoes.
Master the Base, Customize Forever
In today’s kitchen session, we are sticking to my family’s reliable foundation: a classic potato salad loaded with smoky, crispy bacon and hard-boiled eggs.
Once you get these basic techniques down, the blueprint is yours to play with. You can throw in a spoonful of curry powder for a kick, or fold in ribbons of smoked salmon to make it feel like a fancy deli side dish.
My biggest goal with this space is to bring together people from all over the world who love Japanese food, so we can swap notes and I can share everything I've learned in the kitchen over the years. Home cooking is a long, continuous learning process, but it’s always better when you have a community to cook with. If you want to join us on this culinary adventure, we would love to have you as a Club member.
Let's get cooking. Tie your aprons tight. Ready?
LESSON #4 Japanese Style Potato Salad
[ Serves 4 ]
- 400g (14 oz) Potatoes (Festkochend if you are in Germany)
- 1/3 Cucumber
- 1/4 pc Red onion
- 1/3 – 1/2 pc Carrot
- 3 slices (approx. 60g / 2 oz) Bacon
- 1 Egg (hard-boiled)
- 5 – 6 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie)
- 1 tsp Rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar, optional)
- To taste Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Japanese Karashi mustard (optional)
Step1: Boil & Steam-Dry the Potatoes
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Place them in a pot with about 1 liter (approx. 34 fl oz / 4 cups) of water and 1/2 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat slightly to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until a bamboo skewer slides through the center effortlessly.
Step2: Prep the Mix-ins
While the potatoes are boiling, prepare your components:
- Hard-boiled egg: Hard-boil, then coarsely chop.
- Carrot: Slice into thin half-moons and parboil in salted water for 2 to 3 minutes. (If you want to save washing an extra pot, you can toss them right into the potato pot while boiling!)
- Cucumber: Thinly slice. Sprinkle with a tiny pinch of salt and let sit for 10 minutes, then squeeze forcefully with your hands to wring out the moisture completely.
- Red onion: Thinly slice and soak in water for 10 minutes, then squeeze completely dry.
- Bacon: Cut into 1cm (0.4-inch) strips and pan-fry until crisp to bring out its savory aroma. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
Step3: The Hot Mash & Infusion (CRITICAL STEP!)
- Once the potatoes are cooked, 【MUST!!】 mash them coarsely while they are piping hot. Immediately add 1 tsp of vinegar and a small pinch of salt, then mix.
Step4: Combine Everything & Serve
- Add all the prepared mix-ins. (Tip: It’s a good idea to reserve a small handful of crisp bacon to use as a final topping!) Then add the mayonnaise, black pepper, and Karashi mustard (if using), then fold everything together gently.
- Taste and adjust with a pinch of salt or an extra spoonful of mayonnaise if needed. Scoop the potato salad fluffily into a serving bowl. Top with your reserved bacon, extra freshly cracked black pepper, and optionally, some chopped chives or fresh dill (not included in the main ingredients list).
Next week, we are baking something close to my heart: Japanese sesame cookies (Goma Cookies). Every single time I make these for my non-Japanese friends here, they completely disappear from the plate. They have this incredible, deeply toasty aroma and a perfect crisp texture that you just can't find in Western sweets. I can’t wait to share the recipe with you.
Until then, happy cooking.
Love,
Kiki and Coco
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