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Home / Recipes
30 minutes
4.8 from 5 votes
14 Comments

Oriental Potato Salad

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  • 385
by: Joanna Cismaru

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Oriental Potato Salad with olives, eggs and red onions! An easy, delicious and hearty potato salad ready in only 30 minutes!

a large bowl full of potato salad with onions, olives, and parsley

Every once in a while I’ll share a recipe with you that I grew up with, and this oriental potato salad is one of those. Not really sure why it’s called oriental potato salad, but that’s what my mom always called it, so that’s what I’m calling it. This was the kind of salad that my mom would always make whenever she was really busy and tired after a long day at work.

This salad was her go to meal for such times because all that’s really required is to peel some potatoes, then boil the potatoes and the eggs and just toss everything together. It was easy, but still a very satisfying dinner for us. Packed full of savory olives, perfectly boiled eggs, it’s also great if you’re looking for a satisfying meatless dish.

Potato Salad

There’s just something about potato salad, the quintessential side dish. Packed full of Yukon gold potatoes, bright and fresh red onions, and sprinkled liberally with herby parsley, this scrumptious salad is a flavorful twist on a classic. If you’re looking for a way to switch up a standard side, this is the perfect way to do exactly that!

a plate of potato salad with eggs, onions, and olives

Ingredients In Oriental Potato Salad

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

  • Potatoes – Cut into cubes and boiled, medium sized if you please.
  • Onion – We’re using fresh bright red onion today for color and flavor.
  • Eggs – 5 eggs are required for this potato salad recipe, I’ve included a section detailing how best to boil eggs below.
  • Olives – Black olives sliced up and pitted.
  • Olive oil – Choose a nice heavy oil with a well rounded flavor, olive oil will be your best bet.
  • Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Parsley – Fresh and chopped up fine.

How To Make Oriental Potato Salad

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

  1. Prepare the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut them up in small cubes. Boil them for about 20 minutes or until they are tender when you stick a fork in them.
  2. Incorporate the eggs: Boil the eggs and cut them up in smaller pieces.
  3. Finish the dish: Mix all the ingredients together gently and garnish with parsley.

How Long To Boil The Eggs

  • Put up a pot of water to boil. Once the water’s boiling, use a large spoon to gently lower the eggs into the water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat and let eggs cook for 9 to 12 minutes, depending on the size. If using very fresh eggs, add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water to help the eggs peel easier.
  • Once ready, drain the hot water and run cold water over the eggs until the shells are cold. They’re ready to peel!

What Else Can I Use In Oriental Potato Salad?

I like to keep this recipe close to its roots, similar to how mom used to make. But if you’d like to have some fun with it and experiment with some of your favorite flavor combinations, I won’t stop you! Here’s some of my favorite additions.

  • Celery
  • Corn
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Shredded or chopped chicken
  • Nuts or seeds (slice almonds, chopped pecans, pepitas, poppy seeds, etc.)

a large bowl of potato salad with eggs, onions, parsley, and olives

Tips For Making The Best Potato Salad

  • I like to chill my potato salad before serving, it really allows the flavors to hang out and get to know each other. I recommend popping this covered in the fridge for 4 hours before eating.
  • Be sure to use a waxier potato to ensure it soaks up all that dressing, other potato varieties can leak water and result in a runny dressing.
  • Salt your water while the potatoes boil. Just like pasta, potatoes soak up the salt and add some flavor to our dish.

Storing Leftover Potato Salad

Store this salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 5 days. This recipe should not be frozen- the texture and color of potatoes after freezing and thawing is not very appetizing.

More Must Try Romanian Recipes:

  • Meatball Soup
  • Stuffed Peppers
  • Stuffed Pepper Soup
  • Cabbage Rolls
  • Pasca – Romanian Easter Bread
  • Romanian Meatballs
  • Eggplant Dip
  • Walnut Roll

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side view shot of oriental potato salad

Oriental Potato Salad

4.8 from 5 votes
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 4
Print Pin Rate
Oriental Potato Salad with olives, eggs and red onions! An easy, delicious and hearty potato salad ready in only 30 minutes!

Ingredients

  • 6 medium potatoes cut into cubes and boiled
  • 1 small red onion chopped
  • 5 eggs boiled
  • 1/2 cup black olives sliced or whole
  • 4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper or to taste
  • fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Peel the potatoes and cut them up in small cubes. Boil them for about 20 minutes or until they are tender when you stick a fork in them.
  • Boil the eggs and cut them up in smaller pieces.
  • Mix all the ingredients together gently and garnish with parsley.

Recipe Notes

  1. Store this salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 - 5 days. This recipe should not be frozen- the texture and color of potatoes after freezing and thawing is not very appetizing.
  2. Please note that nutritional information can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 386kcal (19%)Carbohydrates: 35g (12%)Protein: 14g (28%)Fat: 22g (34%)Saturated Fat: 4g (25%)Cholesterol: 205mg (68%)Sodium: 513mg (22%)Potassium: 1169mg (33%)Fiber: 7g (29%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 363IU (7%)Vitamin C: 31mg (38%)Calcium: 122mg (12%)Iron: 9mg (50%)
Course:Dinner, Lunch, Salad
Cuisine:Romanian
Keyword:potato salad, traditional romanian recipes
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!
  • 385

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. jenny vaginshtein says

    November 13, 2020 at 11:03 am

    Ahhh… salate orientale .. the best, my beautiful Romanian mom made it with vinegar and oil.. Tu esi uimitoare !

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      November 13, 2020 at 12:41 pm

      Yes my mom adds a bit of vinegar to hers as well. 🤗

      Reply
  2. Alina says

    January 11, 2020 at 10:12 am

    5 stars
    Loved it thank you!

    Reply
  3. Karly says

    April 18, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    Genius! Love love love the idea of an oriental potato salad. Another recipe to add to the list of pot-luck/party go-tos!

    Reply
  4. MH says

    April 18, 2017 at 10:08 am

    Looks like a version of Salade Olivier, which I learned as a vegetarian “russian” potato salad with potatoes, eggs, pickles for salt (instead of your olives) and carrots and peas for veggie (instead of your onion) but there are tons of variations worldwide.

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      April 18, 2017 at 2:41 pm

      Yeah I think this is quite a popular salad in Eastern Europe so you’re right, I’m pretty sure the Russian version is quite similar.

      Reply
    • Anca says

      November 7, 2017 at 7:12 am

      5 stars
      Yes, in fact it is what the cookbooks call Russian Salad and I think we call it “oriental” either because of a snobbish touch or due to expression “borÈ™ rusesc-Russian borscht” by which we understand a “clumsy” dish with all the available ingredients in it.
      However, it’s yummy and I am glad you show the people there a “small piece” of Romania.

      Reply
    • Sorinela says

      May 2, 2018 at 10:15 am

      5 stars
      The Russian salad, is another recipe that in Romania is called “Beouf salad” and is with mayonnaise.
      This is delicious and more halthy 😉

      Reply
  5. Adina says

    March 14, 2017 at 10:16 am

    5 stars
    Oh, I haven’t had salata orientala in years, I should make it myself soon. And you can definitely cannot change the name, even if it doesn’t have anything oriental in it (like suggested above), that is the original name and it has to stay like that. 🙂

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      March 14, 2017 at 10:40 am

      Thank you, I totally agree with you. This is what it’s called in Romania, which is why I’m not changing the name of it.

      Reply
  6. Sara @ Last Night's Feast says

    March 10, 2017 at 3:28 pm

    Wow this is a really cool idea for potato salad! It’s always fun to bring something a little surprising to a picnic or potluck =)

    Reply
  7. Coleen says

    March 10, 2017 at 10:43 am

    4 stars
    Hi Jo,
    Thanks for sharing another great recipe. I love your blog and enjoy receiving new recipes every morning. With all due respect to both you and your mother, may I ask you to consider renaming this salad, given the reasons for the name, “Oriental”, are unknown and the recipe doesn’t seem to call for any typical Asian ingredients? If it’s Romanian, maybe that makes more sense…? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Elena says

      March 21, 2020 at 10:27 am

      Coleen, the name of the actual dish is Oriental Salad. It’s not Joanna’s job to rename old dishes for your modern sensibilities. It’s a Romanian dish, don’t know why it’s stuck with this name, but alas, it is what it is.

      Reply
  8. Dave at eRecipeCards says

    August 3, 2011 at 12:16 am

    I love the idea of olives in a potato salad… need to give this a try

    Reply

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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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