A few months back, I tried a Japanese version of a popular British condiment and it changed the game. Now, I can’t go back to the traditional version that I grew up with. Mayonnaise is one of the most popular condiments for Brits. Not only does it go great on sandwiches, it is used to make salads and people even choose mayo as a dip for things likle fried chicken and pizza.
But when I tried Japanese mayonnaise, I knew I wouldn’t touch the regular stuff ever again. I picked up Japanese mayonnaise because on one adventurous weekend, my partner and I decided that we would make sushi. Living in London, we went to the Japan Centre near Leicester Square to grab ingredients. As well as salmon, tuna, sriracha and other Japanese favourites, we picked up Japanese mayonnaise. While it bears similarities to traditional British mayonnaise, its flavour are so much richer.
But what is the difference between traditional, regular mayonnaise and Japanese mayonnaise? The Japanese version, which is called Kewpie mayo, uses only egg yolks while traditional mayo uses the whole egg.
But that is not the only difference. Popular western brand like Hellmann’s use distilled white vinegar while Japanese mayonnaise is made with a blend of vinegars, namely rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar and distilled vinegar. This results in the richer and more complex flavour.
Kewpie also contains MSG, which is used in manmy British Chinese takeaway dishes to enhance their savoury flavour.
The use of different ingredients makes Japanese mayonnaise a lot smoother and a lot less gloopy compared to regular mayonnaise. Plus, to me, it has a stronger, more concentrated mayonnaise flavour, taking something that is seen as bland and turning it into something rather exciting.
Now, where do you get Japanese mayo? It is not something that is readily available in a mainstream supermarket like Tesco or Sainsbury’s. Japanese mayo is stocked in many Asian supermarkets around the country. These supermarkets offer a range of flavourful sauces, snacks and ingredients you should definitely try, but I always go there for the Kewpie.
It should be noted that Japanese mayonnaise is a lot more expensive than your regular run-of-the-mill jar of mayo. I normally pay just under £5 for mine. I usually go into a supermarket with a strict budget, always looking out for the discount stickers. But this is one thing I don’t mind splurging on.