Japanese Macaroni Salad

Ingredients 

For the Macaroni

• 4 oz uncooked elbow macaroni (or use penne, farfalle, fusilli, or spaghetti)
• 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for boiling the macaroni)
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) (I used Mizkan Natural Rice Vinegar)
• 1 tsp sugar

For the Salad

• 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) (you can use 2 eggs for a more prominent egg taste)
• 1/2 onion (3.5 oz, 100 g)
• 2 Persian cucumbers (or 1 Japanese cucumber)
• 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for the onion and cucumber)
• 4 slices ham (3.5 oz, 100 g; or substitute canned tuna, shredded cooked chicken, or corn)

For the Dressing

• 4 Tbsp Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise (you can make my Homemade Japanese Mayonnaise; or see below to substitute American mayonnaise, rice vinegar, and sugar)
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions 

1. Gather all the ingredients.

To Make the Japanese Mayonnaise

1. You can make my Homemade Japanese Mayonnaise or modify American mayonnaise with Mizkan Natural Rice Vinegar and sugar. For 4 Tbsp of American mayonnaise (I use Best Foods/Hellmann’s Mayonnaise), add ½ Tbsp rice vinegar and ¾ tsp sugar. Whisk until the sugar dissolves.

To Boil the Macaroni

1. Start boiling 3 quarts (12 cups, 2.8 L) water in a large pot (I used a 3.5 QT pot). Once boiling, add 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and 4 oz uncooked elbow macaroni. Cook 1 minute longer than the package instructions.
2. Drain the macaroni and transfer to a large bowl. While it‘s hot, add 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil.
3. Add 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) and 1 tsp sugar and mix well together. Set aside to let cool completely.

To Prepare the Egg

1. In a medium saucepan, add enough water to completely cover 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Tip: If you want your egg yolk to be in the center, gently rotate the egg with chopsticks once in a while for the first 3 minutes.
2. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and set a timer for 12 minutes (or 9 minutes for a soft-boiled egg). Once it’s done cooking, bring the pot under running water to cool or immediately transfer the egg to an ice bath.
3. Peel the egg and chop it into small pieces.

To Prepare the Vegetables and Ham

1. Cut off the ends and peel ½ onion. Cut into thin slices along the grain.
2. Peel the skin of 2 Persian cucumbers alternately, leaving some part unpeeled (so it looks striped). Cut off the ends.
3. Thinly slice the cucumber with a knife or mandoline. Put the sliced cucumber and onion in a medium bowl.
4. Sprinkle 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt on the onion and cucumber and lightly massage by hand to evenly distribute the salt. Set aside for 5 minutes.
5. When you see liquid in the bowl, give the sliced vegetables a quick rinse to remove the salt.
6. Squeeze the liquid out and set aside.
7. Cut 4 slices ham into small pieces 2 inches long and roughly ⅛ inch thick. Set aside.

To Assemble the Macaroni Salad

1. When the macaroni is cool, add the ham, cucumber, and onion.
2. Mix well together. Add the chopped boiled egg.
3. Add 4 Tbsp Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper. Mix it all together.
4. Taste the salad and see if you want to add more salt, pepper, or mayonnaise. Once seasoned, chill the salad for 1 hour in the refrigerator before serving.