This is one of my original creations and it's always a hit at parties. People often ask me for the recipe. Well, here it is for the world to partake!

The backbone of this dish is katsuobushi, which are shavings of dried smoked bonito (a type of tuna). You might even say that it's the backbone of all Japanese cooking. It's used to make dashi (fish broth), which is itself no doubt a backbone. Katsuobushi is also used as a topping on so many Japanese dishes, including okonomiyaki. It's as ubiquitous in Japanese cooking as memes about "weird" Japanese things are on the Internet. The shavings wriggle and dance when put on hot dishes -- a little creepy at first, but impossible not to watch.

Quality katsuobushi is highly prized and can get expensive. Luckily you normally only need a small amount. High end Japanese chefs will buy a whole block of katsuobushi and shave it themselves using something like a wood plane. This keeps the flavour locked in until right before consuming. Us mere mortals though will find it easier to buy them already shaved in resealable plastic bags.

Ingredients

• 10 small potatoes
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 red bell pepper
• 0.5 can of corn
• 2 shiitake -- fresh or dried (Chinese shiitake)
• 1 handful of takuan
• katsuobushi
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• salt
• sesame oil
• chopped green onions

Method

• If you are using dried shiitake, soak them for 30-60 minutes.
• Wash the potatoes and cut them into 1.5 cm cubes
• Boil the potatoes in salted water until they are soft, but not mushy. You can check by sticking a skewer through them. Once there is little resistance, they are done.

• Drain the potatoes and put them in a mixing bowl to cool.

• Cut the rest of the ingredients into 1 cm cubes. For the shiitake, remove the stems.

• Fry the shiitake in some sesame oil until they are slightly browned.

• Once everything has cooled, combine them in the mixing bowl.

• Add mayonnaise, soy sauce and a handful of katsuobushi.

• Mix until evenly coated.
• Top with some chopped green onions.

What makes this potato salad so good is that it's a dish of many layers. There are 3 different kinds of crunchiness: celery, bell pepper, and takuan. There are 2 different kinds of softness: potatoes and shiitake. And the corn is somewhere in between. Then the saltiness of the soy sauce, umami of the katsuobushi and the mayonnaise ties everything together.

Enjoy!