What is Kewpie mayo?
Kewpie (キユーピー) is the name of the Japanese maker that has sold mayonnaise since 1925. In Japan you recognize the soft squeeze bottle by the logo with the baby doll. Kewpie uses only egg yolks instead of whole eggs, a mild vinegar and MSG. The result is thicker, more yellow and has more umami. You can buy the original at an Asian grocery store, and this recipe gives you a close copy from supermarket ingredients.
The right ingredients
- Egg yolks: Two yolks reliably bind 200 ml of oil. Use fresh eggs, ideally laid within the last few days.
- Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar comes close to the original. With mild rice vinegar the mayo tastes rounder. Distilled white vinegar tastes sharp.
- Oil: Canola or sunflower oil with a neutral taste. Olive oil makes the mayo bitter.
- MSG: It gives you the umami note you know from Kewpie. 1 tsp is clearly noticeable. If you prefer it milder, use half. The background on MSG is explained in the article on umami.
How to make the mayo
With an immersion blender in 1 minute
Put all the ingredients in a tall, narrow cup that is just wider than your immersion blender. Wait 30 seconds until the oil has settled on top. Set the blender on the bottom, switch it on and slowly pull it upward as soon as a white cream forms at the bottom. After one minute the mayo is ready.
With a whisk
First whisk the egg yolks, vinegar, mustard and seasonings until smooth. Add the oil drop by drop at first, until the mixture thickens, then in a thin stream. Set the bowl on a damp cloth so it does not slide away and you have a hand free.
Rescuing broken mayo
If the mayo breaks, put a fresh egg yolk in a clean bowl and whisk the broken mixture into it a spoonful at a time. The cause is usually egg yolks that are too cold or too much oil added at once.
Variations: Asian mayo
- Sriracha mayo: 2 tbsp sriracha for the finished batch, for sushi rolls and burgers.
- Yuzu mayo: 1 tbsp yuzu juice in place of part of the vinegar, for shrimp and tempura.
- Wasabi mayo: 1 tsp wasabi paste, for salmon and cold soba.
- Without MSG: The mayo tastes flatter then. A splash of soy sauce brings back a little umami.
What goes with it
In Japan you drizzle Kewpie in thin lines over Osaka-style okonomiyaki and takoyaki, together with okonomiyaki sauce and bonito flakes. With karaage you serve it as a dip with a lemon wedge. In sushi burritos and onigiri it binds canned tuna. For drizzling, fill the mayo into a small squeeze bottle or a freezer bag with a corner snipped off.
Storage
Homemade mayo contains raw egg yolk and keeps in the fridge for 3 days at most. For pregnant women, small children and older people, use pasteurized egg yolks from the refrigerated section or buy the original.
