3 Quick and Easy Japanese Appetizers

A few simple Japanese small dishes that are easy to make regardless of skill level. The first recipe is a Japanese take on potato salad. The recipe I use here is basic, but additional ingredients such as boiled eggs, ham, wasabi, etc can be added to your liking. The second recipe (5:03) is a type of Sunomono – a dish using vinegar. The recipe I made here includes cucumber and shredded chicken, but more often octopus, seaweed, rice noodles, etc. can be substituted or added. The last recipe (8:07) is the most simple, using only 4 ingredients. Avocado Oroshi tops avocado with grated daikon radish and ponzu – a very simple and quick snack that is great with beer or wine after a long day at work!

【Potato Salad】
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup Kewpie mayo
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
4 mini tomatoes, sliced in halves
2 leaves of lettuce, washed and dried
pinch of shichimi

Optional Ingredient Variations:
Cucumber, hard boiled eggs, ham, fish roe, perilla leaves, curry powder, wasabi, karashi or dijon mustard.

【Cucumber Sunomono with Chicken】5:03
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
120g chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
pinch of sesame seeds

Optional Ingredient Variations:
Octopus, crab, wakame seaweed, rice noodles, shirasu anchovy white bait.

【Avocado Oroshi Ponzu】8:07
1 avocado, sliced into cubes
Daikon radish, grated
1 tbsp ponzu
pinch of shichimi