#Rezept

An interesting variation is Japanese potato salad. The potatoes are mashed, so you can even eat the salad with chopsticks.

Ingredients

• 600 g potatoes
• 100 g carrots
• 1 small onion
• 2 mini cucumbers, organic (alternatively, a regular cucumber)
• 120 ml mayonnaise
• 2 tsp mustard (medium)
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• Pepper and salt

Preparation

Finely dice the onion. Wash the cucumbers and cut into thin slices. Put both in a sieve and lightly salt them.

Peel the potatoes and cut into 6 to 8 pieces. Quarter the carrots and cut into roughly 5mm pieces. Put both in a pot, cover with water and boil covered for about 8 minutes. Then drain and let them steam dry. Sort out the carrots and roughly mash the potatoes with a masher. Add the carrots and vinegar and mix.

Squeeze out the onions and cucumbers by hand. Put them in a bowl together with the potato and carrot mix. Mix the mayonnaise with mustard and fold it in. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tip: I put a steamer basket on top of the potatoes and place the carrot pieces in there. That way, I can just take out the steamer basket after cooking, instead of having to fish out the carrot pieces one by one.

One of our favourite meals, which is also easy to cook at home, is Tonkatsu, the Japanese version of the schnitzel.

Ingredients

• 4 pork minute steaks, cut a bit thicker
• Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs, available in Asian supermarkets)
• Flour
• Egg
• Salt, pepper
• plenty of oil for frying (e.g. high-heat sunflower oil)
• Tonkatsu sauce (from the Asian supermarket, e.g. “Bulldog Tonkatsu Sauce”)
• 150 g white cabbage
• Vinegar dressing for dipping the white cabbage salad (e.g. Yuzu dressing or sesame dressing from the Asian supermarket)

Preparation

Lightly salt and pepper the schnitzels, then roll them one after another in flour, beaten egg, and Panko. Cut the white cabbage into fine strips and divide it among the plates.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the schnitzels on both sides until crispy. The oil shouldn’t get too hot, as Panko burns faster than our usual breadcrumbs. A bit of practice is the only thing that helps here until the breading is nice and crispy and the meat is cooked through but still juicy inside.

Cut the finished schnitzels into finger-thick strips with a sharp knife. Arrange on the plates and pour a good splash of Tonkatsu sauce over them.

Itadakimasu! (Enjoy your meal)