Nikujaga (肉じゃが) or Japanese Meat and Potato Stew is synonymous with good old home cooking in Japan. It’s the dish that everyone frequently eats at home and remembers as mother’s taste おふくろの味. Let’s make a killer Nikujaga that steals your family’s heart!
What is Nikujaga
As two of the main ingredients are niku (meat) and jagaimo (potatoes), Nikujaga (肉じゃが) literally means “meat and potatoes”. It is an iconic Japanese home-cooked dish, known as “Ofukuro no Aji” – the taste of a mother’s cooking. For many, nikujaga is an honest-to-goodness comfort food. Potatoes make up the majority of the dish, with some thinly sliced beef or pork, onion, shirataki noodles (ito konnyaku), and a colorful mix of vegetables. In western Japan, nikujaga typically features beef while pork is more commonly used in eastern Japan. It is a classic Yoshoku, a western-influenced Japanese food, that appeared in the late 19th century. Here, the ingredients are stewed in soy sauce, sugar, sake, and mirin, along with dashi (or water) in a pot, rendering a familiar Japanese flavor.
History of Nikujaga
Nikujaga originated in the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was introduced to sailors as it was high in nutrition and the ingredients are easy to supply as they are similar to the ones for Navy Curry. In the late 19th century, General Heihachiro Togo who studied in Portsmouth, England in the late 1800s, asked the naval cook to create a version of the beef stew, which was served in the British Royal Navy. As the chef never tried beef stew before and ingredients like wine and demi glace sauce were not available then, the chef invented his own version with soy sauce and sugar, similar to Sukiyaki. The dish, called Amani (甘煮) back then, became popular in the Navy, and you can find the recipe in the “Navy kitchen textbook.” On the contrary, the general public didn’t show interest in the dish as it uses beef and potatoes that were foreign to the Japanese at the time. Nikujaga didn’t appear on the table at home until the 1970s. That’s when beef stew and curry rice started to become popular and home cooks started to use beef and potatoes in their cooking.
How to Make Nikujaga
Ingredients You’ll Need
PotatoesThinly sliced beef or pork (thinly sliced meat cooks a lot faster!)OnionShirataki noodles (Ito Konnyaku)CarrotGreen vegetables (Most commonly snow peas, green beans, or green peas)Seasonings – soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sake, optional dashi (Japanese soup stock)
Overview of Cooking Steps
Blanch the green vegetable of your choice in a separate small pot. Set aside for the last step. Cook shirataki noodles according to package directions.In a large pot, cook the onion and then add meat.Add potatoes and coat them well with oil.Add the rest of the ingredients, including shirataki noodles. Add seasonings and simmer for 15 minutes.Let cool for 30-60 minutes. When ready to serve, add in blanched green vegetables and reheat to serve.
5 Most Important Tips to Make Best Nikujaga
Cut the ingredients into roughly equal chunks and size – The ingredients should be all cooked in 15 minutes or less. If you cut them too small or too large, the texture will either be mushy or undercooked.Use a bigger pot/pan – To make sure the ingredients absorb all the great flavors, it’s best to use a wide, big pan or pot so the ingredients won’t be overlapping too much and there is no need to mix frequently.Use Otoshibuta (Drop Lid) – This Japanese must-have tool keeps the ingredients in place while simmering so they will not move and break down. It also helps to circulate the broth over the surface so you don’t need to mix while cooking. Don’t have one? Make one with aluminum foil or parchment paper!Let cool after simmering – During cool down, the ingredients will absorb all the flavors.Add green vegetables right before serving – I highly recommend blanching the green vegetables first, and reheating them right before serving. If you cook them with the other ingredients, the color will not stay bright green.
What to Serve with Nikujaga
Rice: Steamed rice, Takikomi GohanSoup: Miso Soup, Kakitama Jiru (Japanese Egg Drop Soup)Sides: Grilled Mackerel (if you want more protein), Spinach Ohitashi, Chilled Tofu, Green Bean Shiraae, Eggplant Agebitashi
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