Gamja Salad With Cucumber, Carrot and Red Onion
Gamja (“potato”) salad is likely to be included among a sea of other banchan at Korean restaurants, and is typically mounded on a plate using an ice cream scoop. It’s similar to mashed potatoes in texture, mayo-laden like many potato salads, and studded with crunchy vegetables and hard-boiled egg. It’s generally a restaurant food, but when home cooks do make it, the salad might be sandwiched between two slices of soft white bread and eaten for lunch. The world is your oyster when it comes to gamja salad: It may include apples, peas, corn kernels, raisins and even nuts, and you can add whatever you like and nix whatever you don’t. But the cucumber is gibon (“standard”), and essential, because it adds a vegetal freshness that pulls this dish back from feeling heavy in any way.
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 1Kirby cucumber, deseeded and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- ½medium red onion, very finely diced
- 1teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1large russet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1large egg
- ⅓cup plus 1 tablespoon mayonnaise (preferably Hellmann’s)
- 1teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon rice vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Step 1
In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, red onion and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside to sweat slightly.Step 2
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the carrot and cook until tender-crisp, 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or fine-mesh sieve and set aside.Step 3
Add the cubed potato and egg to the boiling water. Cook the egg for 10 minutes and the potatoes until fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes. While the potato finishes cooking, run the hard-boiled egg under cold tap water. Peel the egg, finely chop it, then add it to a medium bowl. When the potato is cooked, transfer to the bowl with the egg and mash with a fork until uniform.Step 4
Add the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar to the mashed potato mixture and stir to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Squeeze the salted cucumber and red onion with your hands (discarding any liquid), and fold them into the potato and egg mixture along with the cooked carrot.Step 5
To serve, scoop the potato salad onto a plate using an ice cream scoop, and eat warm or at room temperature. (To store for later, transfer to a resealable container and keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. This salad even tastes great cold, straight out of the fridge.)