I learned to make a Russian salad because I didn't have furikake
Hello from Japan. I'm Nyoro.
What is your specialty dish?
If I were asked that, I'd be a bit stumped.
It's not that I'm good at cooking, nor do I have a special signature dish.
However, having lived in Georgia for three and a half years, there is a dish I made over and over again.
That is Olivier Salad.
It's not very familiar in Japan, but it's a staple of staples in Russia and Ukraine.
When I lived in Georgia, there was a high probability that this salad was in my fridge.
Why a Russian salad in Georgia?
you might wonder.
The war started less than a year after I moved to Georgia, and
the number of Russians in Tbilisi, the capital where I lived, kept increasing.
Little by little, I made more Russian friends, and there were many Russian students in the Japanese classes I hosted.
It was one of those students who taught me Olivier salad.
For some reason, I lived alone for the last six months of my life in Georgia
(I might write about this later).
I was in a situation where I could have ended up eating furikake for breakfast and dinner!
(I love furikake),
but unfortunately, getting furikake in Georgia was a Herculean task.
What saved my lonely dining table from that "furikake loss" was the Olivier salad I learned from my student.
I've always liked potato salad, but this salad has added vegetables, it's filling, you get your veggies, and above all, it's delicious.
The key is
green peas
Another Russian student gave me their seal of approval, saying,
"This tastes like the Olivier salad we eat in the countryside!"
Olivier salad recipe, passed down directly from a Russian friend!
【Ingredients】
・1 can of green peas
・3 potatoes
・1 carrot
・1 cucumber
・5 small cucumber pickles
・3 eggs
・Mayonnaise to taste
・Salt to taste
・A dash of pepper
・Ham or sausage (optional)
① Boil the potatoes and carrots until soft
② Hard-boil the eggs
③ Cut the potatoes, carrots, eggs, cucumber, and pickles into 0.5cm-1cm cubes
④ Drain the water from the pickles and cucumber
⑤ Put everything in a bowl, add mayonnaise, salt, and pepper to taste
⑥ Mix well
It feels like a lot of ingredients, but once you have them, you just mix them together.
It's super easy and incredibly delicious, so give it a try.
Personally, I prefer the veggie Olivier salad with extra cucumber pickles and no meat.
It's also perfect as a companion to wine.
A flavor that is more than just a salad to me
It has been a long time since I left Georgia.
Even so, I still make Olivier salad from time to time.
As I cut the potatoes, I remember the days I made it with my Russian friends and the times I spent silently mixing it alone in my Georgian kitchen.
To me, Olivier salad is not just a salad.
It is a flavor that brings back a little piece of the days I spent in Georgia.