Vegan Spicy Asian Potato Salad ~ Axille's Vegan Corner

This recipe came to me after eating some mashed potatoes and I wanted to make it a little spicy. We were out of Sriracha but I found another spicy condiment in our refrigerator that I got from the Asian supermarket. I starting adding this ingredient to some of the dishes I cook or a condiment to any food I eat. It has a different kind of taste that was distinct from the other spices I've used before and I was hooked.  Since then it has been my go to ingredient for when I want to add some kick to my dish. This ingredient has inspired me to create my version of the Potato Salad and the star ingredient is "Sambal Oelek" which is a fresh ground chili paste or hot sauce. It is used in many Asian cuisine as a spice or as an accompaniment to any dish to give it some heat.

Spicy Asian Potato Salad

Ingredients:
3 lbs baby red potatoes, scrubbed
3 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 stalks scallions, chopped
1 cup mayo, vegan or dairy free
1 - 2 tbsp Sambal Oelek (chili paste), to taste
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the potato and carrots (sliced in half) in a pot of water.  Bring it to a boil then simmer it with the lid on. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until tender. Drain the water and let it cool. Peel the skin off the carrots and dice it. Leave the potato skin on and cut it into quarters, halves or bite size pieces depending on the size of the potato. TIP: Place the large pieces of the potato in the bottom of the pot, medium in the middle and smallest on the top. Place the carrots on the very top of the potato when cooking it all together.
2. In a large bowl, mix the potato, carrots, celery, scallions, mayo, sambal oelek, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper to taste. Carefully mix all the ingredients together until everything is well combined. Chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving.