This Asian macaroni salad is like Hawaiian mac salad with Japanese flair. Soaked in sushi seasoning and tossed in mayo with assorted cut veggies, it’s a total umami bomb! Start cooking the night before for the best flavor.
Ah, Japanese macaroni salad. With some Hawaiian influence. Or is it the other way around? Hawaiian mac salad with Japanese influence?
The truth is.. I don’t REALLY know.
This recipe is another one that I’ve adapted from an old church cookbook, written by Japanese grandmas who lived in or had relatives from Hawaii. There are aspects of both Hawaiian mac salad and Japanese mac salad… so which is it? No clue! Let’s take a deep dive into mac salad styles.
What is Japanese Macaroni Salad?
First of all, how did Japanese people even start making these creamy salad sides? I mean, really, with mac salad and potato salad both being popular in Japan, did the US midwest somehow seep into Japanese culinary culture?
The mysteries of life.
Anyway, Japanese macaroni salad is much like American macaroni salad in that it has a mayonnaise dressing and a few mix-ins, usually vegetables like cucumber and maybe some ham as protein. The mayonnaise is typically Japanese mayonnaise, which is spiced and flavorful, unlike American mayonnaise.
I see many Japanese macaroni salad recipes also use rice vinegar or a sushi seasoning for the “pickled” flavor, and mine does as well. However, mine does NOT use Japanese mayonnaise, which some would say is a hallmark for Japanese mac salad. Instead, I use Best Foods, also known as Hellman’s, which is a hallmark of Hawaiian mac salad.
Japanese vs. Hawaiian Mac Salad
Mac salad is crucial to modern Hawaiian cuisine. Is it even a plate lunch without mac salad?
Am I asking too many rhetorical questions in this blog post? (Yes.)
Most Hawaiian mac salad recipes include ONLY shredded carrots as a mix-in ingredient. The dressing is ONLY Best Foods mayonnaise. No pickling liquid or brine, no cucumber or ham.
My Japanese/Hawaiian mac salad uses sushi seasoning and lots of mixed in ingredients, but relies on plain American mayonnaise. Plus, I mix in kamaboko, which I feel like is very Hawaiian, despite being a Japanese ingredient.
So you can see my dilemma in trying to decide how to categorize this mac salad. Japanese? Hawaiian? Both?
Whatever. It’s delicious.
In fact, some friends from Hawai’i told me this was the MOST ONO mac salad they ever had. So if you’re a Hawaiian mac salad purist, don’t come at me.
Prepping Mac Salad the Night Before
Something that sets this mac salad recipe apart is that you can prep it the night before for best flavor. Cook the macaroni elbows until soft (maybe one minute past al dente). Then you’re going to put the drained pasta in a large bowl with sushi seasoning! It soaks allllll night in the fridge with that glorious vinegary solution. When you mix it with the mayo the next day, you get a depth of flavor you didn’t know mac salad could have.
By the way, it’s super easy to make the sushi seasoning at home. It’s just equal parts sugar and rice vinegar, heated on stovetop until the sugar dissolves. Tada! Now you can go and make my other sushi recipes too!
Mac Salad Ingredient Mix Ins
My second favorite part of this mac salad, besides the surprise sushi flavor bomb, is alllll the mix in ingredients you can do. You can go typical Japanese with cucumber and ham. You can go more Hawaiian with shredded carrots. My daughters LOVE putting in shredded kamaboko. Here are some ideas:
- cucumber
- celery
- carrots
- corn
- green onion
- kamaboko
- ham
More Japanese and Hawaiian Recipes
Take a look through my recipe collections for more Japanese AND Hawaiian recipes. And if you’re looking for more recipes to go with this mac salad, I’ve got some here too:
Japanese Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb elbow pasta typically half a box
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp dashi powder
- 2 carrots shredded
- 2 stalks celery small dice
- 1 small cucumber small dice
- 4 oz flake imitation crab
- 2 stalks green onion chopped fine
- 1 15 oz jar mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Japanese sesame dipping sauce optional
Instructions
- The night before you want to serve, begin your prep by bringing a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the elbow pasta according to package instructions. If the package gives you a range of time to cook, use the longer cook time for a slightly softer pasta.
- While the pasta is boiling, put rice vinegar, sugar, and dashi powder in a small saucepan. Heat and stir on the stovetop until the sugar is dissolved.
- When pasta is done, drain and put in a large mixing bowl. Add rice vinegar solution and stir to mix. Cover with plastic wrap and let the pasta soak overnight.
- The next morning, add in your chopped veggies and imitation crab to the pasta along with the entire jar of mayonnaise and tablespoon of sesame sauce, if using. Stir, cover, and put back in the fridge to chill until serving. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days.